Kitty vs. Pietro (FINISHED!!!!)
by mistyblue1
Summary: yAY, THIS STORY IS DONE! woo hoo! this is the sorta love/hate relationship kitty has with pietro, there are other storylines w/ other characters. Please rate/review guys, because i'm not sure if i should continue this story...
1. Default Chapter

Hey guys, okay here's chapter 3…..i promise this one's a lot more interesting….i've decided to switch the narrations around so you can get the perspectives of the other characters….hehe, okay last thing I'd absolutely love some advice (*cough* review *cough).  
  
"Kitty, I adore you. I love you, I worship the ground you walk on. Your the reason I wake up every morning."  
  
"Oh Brad, do you mean that?"  
  
"Of course Kitty…now will you do me the honor of becoming my-, CLANG! Kitty Pryde opened her eyes sleepily to…. very …loud noise. She flopped onto her stomach, and pressed her face into the pillow….but to no avail; the image of Brad Pitt was lost. Cursing in a very un-Kitty like manner, she finally threw off her covers and stumbled out of bed. Whoever's responsible for that noise is dead, Kitty thought, storming out of the room to confront the person that had ruined the greatest dream she'd had all year.  
  
She opened the door to see a white-haired boy around her age, rifling through the medicine cabinet she shared with Rogue and Jubilee. No, rifling was the wrong word, he was throwing their stuff out with amazing speed. Kitty watched, gaping at the cosmetics and other supplies that she'd neatly organized in the cabinet just last week, lying in a large heap on the floor.  
  
"What the heck do you think your DOING?!" yelled Kitty, breaking out of her stupor.  
  
The boy stopped for a second, and turned around slowly to face her. "Are you slow or something? I'm reorganizing things to make room for my stuff," he said, with a condescending look as if he were explaining it to a five- year old. This only infuriated Kitty further.  
  
"What do you mean your stuff?! This is my bathroom, and you can't just throw all my stuff around," Kitty said heatedly.  
  
"Well it's our bathroom now and if your quite through with your childish tantrum-," he started, turning back around.  
  
"NO, I am not finished! What are you doing here anyways! This is the girls' floor!"  
  
"There were only 2 spare beds on the guys' floor, lance and todd claimed it, so the bald guy told me I had to stay here. Now do you mind leaving, unless you want to watch while I take a shower?" the silver-haired boy said, smirking at Kitty.  
  
To her consternation, Kitty couldn't help noticing how good-looking he was, in a conceited, know-it-all kind of way. "Oh right, as if I'd want to see you naked!" Kitty retorted, trying to fight the flaming blush that was working its way up her face.  
  
"It's nothing to be ashamed of, lots of girls had the hots for me back where I came from," the boy said smirking again, running one hand through his silvery hair.  
  
"Why you-," Kitty blustered, trying to think of a good comeback. Finally, she gave up, and giving him one last withering look, phased back into her room. What a total jerk! Wait till Rogue and Jubes find out about this, they'll be pissed, Kitty thought, running a comb angrily through her shoulder length brown hair. Deciding to tell him that, she phased back into the hallway. To her surprise, the bathroom was completely empty and the floor was clean! Frowning, Kitty opened the medicine cabinet and found her things neatly arranged on the right side. How did he do that so fast, Kitty wondered .  
  
20 minutes later, Kitty emerged dressed and went downstairs for breakfast. To her surprise she found Jubilee and Rogue almost finished. Since when did Jubilee get up early, Kitty mused. The answer became obvious as a tall slender boy with dark brown hair sat next to a laughing Jubilee.  
  
"Ah, Kitty, there you are. We have an announcement to make, we can start now that your there, " Professor Xavier said, smiling at her. Kitty nodded and sat down around the large table, where all the X-men were present. "We have 3 new mutants who will be joining us at the school. This is Lance Alvers," the Professor said, gesturing at the dark haired mutant next to Jubilee. "This is Todd Tolensky," he continued, pointing at a short stocky mutant with a sulky look on his face. "And last but not least, this is Pietro Maximoff," the Professor finished, gesturing towards the silver- haired boy who was busy stuffing his face. Kitty grimaced, and looked back down at her own cereal. "They will be staying here from now on so please do your best to make them feel welcome."  
  
Kitty choked on her juice. That Pietro guy was staying here forever! This has to be some sort of a sick joke, Kitty thought.  
  
After breakfast, she saw Jubilee and Rogue out on the porch. Kitty ran to join them and suddenly ran into what felt like rock. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry," Kitty said hurriedly, "I was-." Her words died as she looked up into Pietro's blue eyes.  
  
"You again! Jeez, are you trying to kill me or something!" Pietro yelled, throwing up his hands.  
  
"It was an accident!" Kitty yelled back, the apologetic words that were on the tip of her tongue forgotten. "Maybe you should watch where your going!"  
  
"Hey what's going on here!" Logan's gruff voice cut through. Both of them looked at him.  
  
Kitty crossed her arms resolutely and looked silently at the floor.  
  
"Ahem, she," Pietro said, jerking a thumb at Kitty, "ran into me. I'm lucky I didn't have injuries."  
  
"I'll give you injuries," Kitty began through gritted teeth.  
  
"Alright hold it!" At Logan's silencing glare, the two teens shut up instantly. "Whatever it is, put it aside. Keep all the fighting in the Danger Room, got it?" Logan said, patting Kitty on the back and then sauntering away.  
  
"Till we meet again milady," Pietro said in a mock-British accent, bowing deeply.  
  
"I can hardly wait," Kitty said sarcastically. Turning on her heel, she left for the porch, glad that she'd atleast gotten the last word.  
  
"Hey Kitty," Jubilee said, looking up from her magazine.  
  
"Hey guys," Kitty said sighing, sinking down on a lawn chair.  
  
"What's wrong?" Rogue asked concernedly, looking over at Kitty.  
  
"I can't stand that guy Pietro. And it's not bad enough that he's staying here, but did you guys know he's sharing our bathroom too?" Kitty asked. She waited for the explosive reactions, especially from Rogue. But to her shock, her friends looked unfazed.  
  
"Oh we know, the Professor told us at breakfast today before you came down," Jubilee said.  
  
"And you don't find that just a little scary?" Kitty asked, looking from one face to the other. "Rogue?"  
  
Rogue shook her head calmly. "No, he seems pretty cool. Besides, the guy's so fast he won't ever hog the bathroom. Did he bug you or something?"  
  
Kitty shook her head resignedly. "Um, well sort of. Anyways, let's not talk about him. I want to relax before class starts." She closed her eyes, determined to block the annoying boy out of her head.  
  
Kitty sat in history class, avidly taking notes. Finally, Mrs. Hogan stopped the lecture and began passing back papers. "Excellent job, Kitty. Your essay on the effects of the Civil War on the South was exceptionally well written. Keep up the good work," Mrs. Hogan said, handing the paper to Kitty with an approving smile.  
  
Kitty straightened and smiled back, glowing at the praise. Suddenly the door opened, and Pietro sauntered in, handing a slip to Mrs. Hogan. Kitty muffled the urge to bang her fist against the desk. It just figured that he'd be in her favorite class!  
  
"Well, class it seems we have a new student, Pietro Maximoff. Pietro, come back later and I'll assign you a textbook. In the meantime, you can get the notes from a classmate. Who would like to help Mr. Maximoff out here?" Mrs. Hogan inquired, looking around the class. Kitty sank lower in her seat, silently praying that her teacher wouldn't think of her.  
  
Not me, not me not me, Kitty chanted silently. "Kitty, how about you?"  
  
"Um, sure," Kitty responded, smiling weakly. Pietro looked like he was about to laugh as he took the seat next to her.  
  
"Don't look so traumatized, Pryde. I don't need any help, I'm a whiz in all my classes," Pietro boasted confidently.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Modest, aren't you?"  
  
"Hey, if you got it, flaunt it; that's my motto," Pietro asserted, with a lazy smile in her direction. Kitty felt a strange fluttering sensation in her stomach, which she quickly squelched. The guy was a pompous jerk, Kitty told herself.  
  
"Right. I'm sure you have girls banging down the door to get to you," Kitty said sarcastically.  
  
"As opposed to you, who I'm sure has spent more than one Saturday night with a lame chick flick and a tub of popcorn," Pietro remarked.  
  
"That is so not true!" Kitty said hotly. Okay, it was partly true, Kitty admitted, she did prefer having a relatively quiet weekend either watching a movie or hanging out with Rogue and Jubes, but that didn't mean she could get a date if she wanted to!  
  
"Whatever you say, Pryde. Whatever you say, " Pietro said, leaning back in his seat. Kitty glowered at him and turned back to the front of the classroom, trying not to pay attention to the fact that Pietro was now making dozens of little sail boats out of her notebook paper. This isn't just a conflict of interests, thought Kitty hotly, this is war! 


	2. the PREQUEL

AUTHOR"S NOTE: hey guys, thanx so much for the reviews, please keep em' coming! Okay, this chapter is the prequel to chapter 1, this is to show how the brotherhood got to live at the Institute w/ the X-men….kind of like a prologue to chapter 1. After that, I'm gonna continue the story as normal. Enjoy! Also, yes it is sorta AU, meaning that scott and jean grey are way older and grown up X-men whereas kitty, bobby, jubes and the rest are teenagers, k? here it is, hope u guys like it!  
  
  
  
Rogue knew it was a bad idea from the start. So why did she go along with it? Stupidity. Rogue groaned as she remembered how easy it had been for Bobby and Kitty to convince her to sneak out after lights out to watch the brawl at the bar. They'd hopped onto Mr. Summer's bike and had roomed off to watch a couple of guys rip each other apart. Stupid! Rogue chastised herself silently. She didn't even like to watch fights. She had done it purely to get a little excitement outside the mansion's four walls. And now, Rogue thought with a sinking feeling as she walked down the hallway to the dining hall, her, Kitty, and Bobby would inevitably have to confess. She knew that Dr. Grey and everyone had suspected something was up, when they had screeched to a halt on Mr. Summer's motorcycle.  
  
Seeing Rogue's worried face, Bobby turned to her. "Chill, Rogue, no one will find out anything."  
  
Rogue shot him an irritated look. "Wake up, Bobby, we live with a couple of telepaths, remember?" Bobby looked away nervously and then cleared his throat.  
  
"Hey, if we act natural, they won't even have a reason to go poking around in our heads," reasoned Bobby.  
  
"They already suspect something, thanks to your great driving stupid," Kitty accused, straightening her jacket.  
  
"Okay, I'm getting just a little sick of everyone pinning this on me. If I remember correctly, nobody twisted your arm to come," Bobby said, shooting a glare in her direction.  
  
"I know, I know. You're right, we're all going to get busted," Kitty said bleakly.  
  
"Not if we don't act out of the ordinary. If they ask anything, just explain it away," Bobby said, his spirits lifting a little.  
  
"Yeah well, how are you going to explain away that?" Kitty asked, pointing to the mottled discolored bruise on Bobby's face. Rogue hid a smile with her hands. They all had the same bruise on all their cheeks, due to the fact, that somewhere in the middle of the fight, the three of them had gotten slammed into the opposing wall by an unruly mob. The bruise hadn't hurt, but it had scared them enough to prompt them to hop back on the bike and get the hell out of the bar.  
  
Bobby bit his lip thoughtfully. "How about if I wear my hooded sweatshirt?" He demonstrated by draping the dark green hood over his face, and looked up at them expectantly.  
  
Kitty snorted derisively. "You look like a hoodlum, take it off."  
  
Bobby sighed and threw up his hands. Rogue laughed. "Well, what are we supposed to do about our bruises?" she asked him.  
  
"Maybe you can put some make up on or something," Bobby suggested.  
  
"There's not enough make-up in the world to cover this bruise," Kitty said, looking mournfully into a mirror.  
  
"Put it on anyways," was Bobby curt reply. Rogue and Kitty sighed in unison and went into the bathroom. When they emerged a short time later, Bobby just stared for a moment, and then started laughing hysterically.  
  
"You guys look like a couple of-."  
  
"Can it Drake," Kitty said angrily, shoving her short hair back with one hand. Rogue winced as she took a look in the mirror. Her cheeks were an unnatural shade of red due to the bruise, and since she'd had to borrow Kitty's make-up, they had taken on an almost orange tint.  
  
"Alright, let's just go," Rogue said grimly, squaring her shoulders, as she heard Storm call everyone for dinner.  
  
"Yeah, okay, remember, be natural," Bobby reminded them, his eyes flashing with anticipation.  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on," Kitty said, as they hurried towards the dining hall where nearly all the students had already taken their seats at the individual benches. Rogue looked around for a free spot for them to sit.  
  
"Uh oh," Bobby muttered under his breath. Rogue looked up to see Dr. Grey, Mr. Summers, Professor Xavier, and Storm coming towards them.  
  
Rogue exchanged a worried glance with Kitty. She knew they'd be questioned sooner or later, but now that they'd be face to face with their elders, it would be much, much harder to lie. She knew them all to be fair and kind, but even so….  
  
"Hello Marie, Kitty, Bobby, how are all of you?" Dr. Grey greeted them pleasantly.  
  
"Hi Dr. Grey," Kitty said brightly, while nervously tugging at her hair. Marie and Bobby did likewise.  
  
"You know you can call me Jean," Dr. Grey replied, her green eyes friendly and inviting.  
  
"Right," said Bobby. "Well, it was nice talking to you," he added, and tried to make a quick exit.  
  
"Actually Bobby," Scott Summers said, suppressing a laugh, "since you guys can't find a table, we thought you might like to have dinner with us tonight."  
  
"Dinner? With you guys?" Rogue squeaked, and then stopped, blushing furiously.  
  
"Oh, that's okay, I mean, it's nice of you to offer, but we don't want to interrupt you guys while you discuss important stuff," Kitty said quickly, darting a glance at Bobby.  
  
"Oh yeah, we don't want to get in your way or anything," Bobby added.  
  
"We're not discussing anything top-secret, I swear," Storm said with a little twinkle in her eye.  
  
"We love to have students join us for dinner," Professor Xavier assured them pleasantly.  
  
"Sounds great," Rogue said finally, trying to keep the worry out of her voice, and followed them to their private dining hall.  
  
Kitty and Bobby fell back with her, letting the rest lead. "Why'd you agree? Now we're really screwed!" Bobby whispered fiercely.  
  
"How do you think it would have looked if we refused to have dinner with them?" Rogue retorted. "We'd look as if we were hiding something. As it is, I could see Jean was trying not to laugh at our make-up.":  
  
"We're doomed, " Kitty murmured gloomily, as they walked into the private dining hall.  
  
When they were seated, Storm served them all plates of a delicious- smelling stew. Not that I can eat anything tonight, Rogue thought wryly. First, we're going to get busted for going out after lights-out, then for taking Mr. Summer's bike, and then for going to a bar. It didn't look good.  
  
But after a few minutes, when everyone was chatting easily, Rogue wondered if perhaps, Bobby was right, and their secret was safe. With a glance at her friends, she could tell they were wondering the same thing. Finally, Jean exchanged a look with Scott, and cleared her throat a little.  
  
"So, what did you guys do yesterday?" she asked casually. Rogue looked down at her stew, hoping the question wasn't directed at her.  
  
"Well, you know, uh, we thought we'd go up to the lake and do a little rafting," Bobby said finally. Rogue silently let out a sigh of relief.  
  
"You guys got back pretty late last night," Scott remarked. "Around 9:00, I think, right?"  
  
Actually, it was more like 11:30, Rogue thought wryly. "Well, time flies when you're having fun," Kitty piped up, fiddling with her spoon.  
  
All of a sudden, the door opened and in walked Logan, who took a seat at the end of the table. He glanced around and his brow furrowed as he noticed their bruised faces. "What happened to you?"  
  
Rogue coughed. "What do you mean?" she asked casually, although she knew it was futile to lie to Logan. He wasn't stupid, and her face definitely did not look normal.  
  
"Your face is all-," he stopped, when given a warning look from Storm.  
  
"Actually, I was wondering about that myself," Jean said, gesturing towards the bruise on Bobby's right cheek. "Are you all right? What is it?"  
  
"Sunburn," Kitty said immediately.  
  
"Windburn," Bobby offered, at the same time. They looked at each other, flustered. Rogue groaned inwardly, while Logan sat back in his chair with an amused look on his face.  
  
"Uh, actually, it was kind of a combination of both. You know, in the afternoon we got sunburned, and then later, we were, um," Rogue drifted off uncertainly.  
  
"Wind burned," Scott Summers supplied with a barely concealed smile.  
  
"Yeah," Kitty nodded quickly. Logan snorted in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, Cyke, somebody put a hell of a dent in your bike," Logan said gruffly, breaking the silence. Bobby gulped uneasily.  
  
"Gee, I wonder how that happened," Kitty muttered sarcastically under her breath, darting a glare at Bobby, who was choking on his stew. Way to act natural, Bobby, Rogue thought wryly.  
  
"And before you go blaming me, I haven't been near it," Logan growled, as Scott opened his mouth to speak.  
  
"How big of a dent?" Scott Summers asked, his spoon suspended in mid air.  
  
"Really big. Like someone took a hammer and bashed it into the chrome," Logan said, smirking at the look on Scott's face. Bobby groaned and buried his face in his hands.  
  
"Something wrong, Bobby?" the Professor inquired.  
  
"No," was Bobby's muffled response.  
  
There was a heavy silence and then finally, Kitty burst out, "Alright, that's it. I can't take it anymore. Just go ahead and punish us!"  
  
"For what, Kitty?" Jean asked.  
  
"Oh as if you guys didn't know we took Mr. Summer's bike and went to see the bar fight after lights out yesterday!" Kitty said, throwing her hands up in the air.  
  
Then, upon looking at their shocked faces, "Or maybe you guys didn't know," Kitty said in a small voice.  
  
"Kitty!" Bobby groaned disgustedly.  
  
"You guys took my bike?" Scott Summers asked incredulously.  
  
"I didn't even know you knew how to drive," Storm said.  
  
"He doesn't," Kitty said, shooting a dirty look at Bobby.  
  
"Wait a minute, you mean you didn't find out about this till Kitty told you?" Rogue said disbelievingly. Kitty looked sheepish.  
  
"We suspected you guys had been up to something, but we had no idea it was this-," Jean stopped, trying to find the right word.  
  
"Crazy?" Kitty offered.  
  
"Stupid?" Bobby asked, lifting his head from his hands.  
  
"All of the above?" muttered Rogue.  
  
"Elaborate," finished Jean, giving them all stern looks. "Of course you will have to be punished, but first, may I ask why you would do such a thing. I never knew you liked bar room brawls. Especially you, Marie" Jean said disapprovingly.  
  
"Hell, kid, if you wanted to see one so bad, I could have taken you on One Eye's bike anytime you wanted," Logan said, ignoring Storm's frown.  
  
"I just wanted to go out and do something!" Rogue said, frustrated.  
  
"Yeah, it gets pretty boring around here," Kitty piped up.  
  
"Well, then, in that case I have some creative options for your punishment," Scott said, thoughtfully.  
  
The three friends looked at each other with dread. Even Logan looked at them with pity.  
  
"You will all have to do additional lectures with the Professor and myself," Jean said. Rogue nodded. So far, so good: nothing gruesome yet.  
  
"Bobby, since you put that dent in Mr. Summer's bike, you can help him fix it," Jean told Bobby, who brightened up immediately at the lax sentence. Scott nodded his approval at the suggestion.  
  
"Kitty, Marie, you'll work with me in the lab after classes," Jean said, smiling at the two girls. Rogue let out a sigh of relief, she didn't mind working with Jean at all.  
  
"And all of you will be assigned to Kitchen Detail for two weeks," added Storm.  
  
Bobby groaned loudly. "But that's women's work!" He stopped at the lethal glares Storm, Jean, Rogue, and Kitty were giving him.  
  
"So next time you guys have the urge to run out and do something dangerous like going to a bar at night, you'll squelch it. Let this be the last time, alright guys?" Storm finished.  
  
They all nodded, and trooped out decidedly miserable. "We got off pretty easy, except for the kitchen detail," Rogue said, when they were outside.  
  
"Yeah, and I can't believe they didn't know anything, until Kitty opened her big mouth," Bobby said, rolling his eyes at Kitty.  
  
"Oh right, I'm not the one who said I had windburns," Kitty retorted.  
  
"Hey, I was under a lot of pressure!" Bobby said defensively, flushing.  
  
Rogue laughed. "It doesn't matter, atleast we didn't get something horrible."  
  
"You don't call cleaning up after 200 mutant teenagers horrible?!" Bobby said, a horrified look on his face.  
  
"Well, think of it this way. You get to help Mr. Summer's fix the bike you messed up in the first place." Bobby smiled dreamily at that.  
  
"Yeah, I can't wait to get a bike like that."  
  
–2-  
  
"Like, as if, Popsicle. A bike like that probably costs, like, a million dollars," Kitty said rolling her eyes.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't think the Professor's about to just run out and buy you one after what we just did," Rogue added.  
  
"Ha, naysayers!" Bobby scoffed. "I'm way ahead of both of you. I've come up with a brilliant plan to make money. Of course, I'll need some help from some ,er, friends, " he added, looking hopefully at Kitty and Rogue.  
  
Rogue and Kitty groaned simultaneously. "Not another one of your ingenious schemes, no way, get someone else," Kitty said, holding up her hands.  
  
"Aw come on, this one'll work, I swear! Rogue?" Bobby asked pleadingly. "This is totally foolproof!"  
  
"What's totally foolproof?" came a voice down the hall.  
  
"Hey Jubes!" waved Kitty. The petite Asian girl waved back and joined them.  
  
"I was just telling them about my new plan to raise money for a bike. Speaking of which, Jubes, would you be interested-," Bobby began.  
  
"Don't listen to him, he's totally insane. We went with him last night on Mr. Summers bike to a bar to watch this incredibly stupid bar fight," Kitty interrupted him.  
  
"You guys went to a bar on Cyke's bike! You two!" Jubilee asked incredulously looking at Kitty and Rogue.  
  
"What? Why is that so unbelievable?" Kitty asked defensively.  
  
"Nothing, it doesn't seem like something you would do, especially you Rogue," Jubilee added, laughing.  
  
"That's exactly what Dr. Grey said," Rogue muttered.  
  
" Well, anyways it was the dumbest thing I've ever done," Kitty finished.  
  
"Yeah, me too," added Rogue.  
  
"We would have asked you to come, but we couldn't find you. Where'd you go?" Bobby asked curiously. To their amazement, their usually cool, unflustered friend turned an interesting shade of red.  
  
"Um, well-I," stammered Jubilee, looking at her feet. Bobby exchanged an amazed look with Kitty and Rogue.  
  
"Yeah, come to think of it, you weren't there today at dinner either," Kitty pointed out slowly.  
  
"I was, um,….jogging," Jubilee finished lamely.  
  
Rogue snorted in disbelief. "Boy you're a worse liar than even Bobby is, if that's possible."  
  
"Hey!" Bobby protested.  
  
"I don't think I've seen anyone blush that badly after jogging," Kitty mused.  
  
"Alright, alright, fine, I was, um, outwithaboyfromthebrotherhood," mumbled Jubilee, looking down at her feet again.  
  
"Say what?" Bobby asked, totally baffled.  
  
"I was out with a boy from the Brotherhood," Jubilee finished more slowly, blushing anew.  
  
Rogue tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I've heard that name before, only I can't remember where. Who are they?"  
  
Jubilee sighed a little. "It's a long story. Come to my room, I don't want anyone else finding out about this yet."  
  
Intrigued, Rogue went to the room she shared with Jubilee and Kitty. Jubilee opened the door and sat cross-legged on the bed, tugging nervously at the bedspread. Kitty and Rogue exchanged concerned glances. This was totally un-Jubilee like behavior. Usually, she was full of smiles and laughter, this must really be serious, Rogue thought as she sat down opposite Jubilee next to Bobby.  
  
"Okay, so like what's this all about Jubes?" Kitty asked, as soon as they were all seated.  
  
"Well, yesterday Remy took me to the mall and while I was looking at some magazines when I bumped into this really cute guy," Jubilee started. Kitty perked up immediately at the words "cute guy."  
  
"Oooh, what was he wearing?" Kitty asked eagerly.  
  
Bobby groaned. "I'm not sticking around for this if you guys turn into those crazy chicks from "Sex and the City."  
  
He was answered by a shower of pillows. "Ow, guys stop. Okay sheesh, go ahead."  
  
"Anyways," Jubilee said, "he was just hanging out and we got to talking. His name is Lance Alvers, and we had, like, this automatic connection. To make a long story short, after we got to know each other, he told me him and his friends are leaving the Brotherhood."  
  
"Wait a sec, you never told us who the Brotherhood was," interrupted Rogue.  
  
"They're a group of mutants that are under Magneto and Mystique," Jubilee said quietly.  
  
"Uh oh," Bobby said slowly.  
  
"It's not like he's bad or anything," Jubilee said quickly, "he's really cool and he says he's tired of Mystique's lies. So he left a week ago with his friends. And well, I kinda offered him a place to stay," she finished, clearing her throat.  
  
"What?!" Kitty squeaked.  
  
"The professor'll never let them stay Jubes, you know that. Besides, this Alvers guys could be a fraud, or a spy or something," Bobby added.  
  
"He's not!" Jubilee defended hotly. "He hasn't had it easy at all, and the Professor wouldn't turn his back on mutants who need help. They don't even have a place to stay!"  
  
Rogue pressed her fingers to her temples. "I just don't know, how do you know this guy's even telling you the truth?"  
  
Jubilee sighed heavily. "I just do. Anyways, I asked him to come by tomorrow morning with his friends to meet the Professor. They're a little rough around the edges but I'm sure they'll love it here."  
  
"Provided they're allowed to stay," Kitty reminded Jubilee. Jubilee flashed her a smile.  
  
"Oh, I'm sure the Professor will let them. Just wait, guys, it's going to be so exciting having Lance around 24/7!" squealed Jubilee, hugging a pillow.  
  
Rogue smiled a little at Jubilee's infectious enthusiasm. It would be exciting to have some new mutants around the school. Especially if Jubilee's friend Lance had cute friends. Looking over at Kitty, she could tell the pretty brunette was thinking similar thoughts. Yup, tomorrow, would definitely be interesting. 


	3. A rogue's tale

NOTE: Nothing else to say, except to beg for more reviews, please please please! I'd really like atleast 5 more reviews before I write the next chapter….because I feel like no one's even reading this. Anywho, for those who did review, thanx! Please tell me which pairing you want, at this point, I'm headed for a kitty/pietro pairing, and I'll figure out the rest later!  
  
Rogue stared out the window at the boy and girl, who had their fingers entwined, and were walking across the pavilion. Would she ever be able to do that with anyone? Rogue frowned at the reflection of herself in the window; she usually didn't spend much time feeling sorry for herself, she preferred rather, to put it at the back of her mind and continue life as normally as possible. But sometimes, the glaring fact that she would never be able to touch anyone came rushing to the forefront, and she would feel the familiar feelings of envy and hopelessness.  
  
Jubilee and Kitty were great; they treated her as if she were like anyone else, as if she didn't have the ability to kill them with a single touch. But, no one, not even Dr. Grey understood how deeply it affected her. Would there ever be a single boy who would be interested in her, knowing that he'd never be able to kiss her or hold her? No, thought Rogue angrily, that would never happen.  
  
"Rogue, rogue?" Kitty asked, waving a hand in front of Rogue's face. Rogue jumped and turned back to her friend, who was busy scrubbing dishes.  
  
"Sorry, what?"  
  
"I was telling you-, are you alright?" Kitty asked her, concern clouding her soft brown eyes.  
  
Rogue swallowed hard. There was no point in worrying her friend, better to keep it inside. "I'm fine, just….daydreaming."  
  
Kitty smiled, and nodded understandingly. "I know, this morning I was having the most incredible dream with Brad Pitt."  
  
Rogue rolled her eyes. "I don't know what you see in him, he's so ugly."  
  
"He is not!" Kitty exclaimed, and playfully splashed Rogue with some soap suds. Rogue laughed, and retaliated with a handful of dish water.  
  
"Wow, kitchen detail really sucks, huh?" Kitty said, sighing as she dried her hands with a towel.  
  
"Tell me about it. Where's Bobby anyways, he was supposed to come here right after classes," Rogue said suddenly.  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes. "Knowing him, he's probably found some way to get out of it."  
  
Rogue laughed. "That's Bobby. Anyways, I'm nearly done with my share of the dishes, what about you?"  
  
"Ugh, I haven't even made a dent in my pile. This thing is like the leaning tower of pizza," Kitty said disgustedly. "I'm probably going to be here all night."  
  
"Hmm, you seem kind of out of it," Rogue remarked.  
  
"It's that stupid new guy, Pietro something-or-other. He has got to be the world's most annoying person," Kitty said, scrubbing a dish with extra ferocity. "I mean, wherever I go, he's right there! Can you believe I have 3 classes with him, talk about a cruel twist of fate!"  
  
Suddenly, the door slid open quietly and in walked Pietro. Rogue's eyes widened, and she cleared her throat loudly to warn Kitty. "Ahem, Kitty- ,"  
  
"And it isn't just that he's unbelievably obnoxious, which he is," Kitty continued forcefully as if Rogue had never spoken, "but he's so conceited. He flirts with all the cheerleaders in my class. It's so gross!"  
  
Pietro stood silently in the doorway with his eyebrows raised, as Rogue shrugged her shoulders helplessly. Kitty suddenly noticed the lull and turned around slowly. "Rogue, what's-….oh," Kitty said, gulping a little.  
  
Poor Kitty, Rogue thought, groaning inwardly. I think this is my exit cue, Rogue thought, grateful that she had already finished her dishes and could make a quick getaway. Kitty looked at her, silently pleading her to stay. Rogue flashed her an apologetic glance and slipped out of the kitchen into the hallway.  
  
Suddenly she crashed into what seemed like a wall. "Oops, I'm really sorry," Rogue apologized. She looked and suddenly recognized the dark brown hair and hazel eyes as Jubilee's friend, Lance.  
  
"No, no, it's my fault. I wasn't looking where I was going," Lance said, smiling down at Rogue. "Your…Rogue, right?"  
  
"Right," Rogue said, a little self-consciously.  
  
"Cool, I'm Lance Alvers," Lance said, extending his hand. Rogue shook it quickly.  
  
"Nice to meet you." The conversation slipped into an awkward silence. Suddenly in the background, Rogue could hear arguing and Kitty's unmistakable "whatevers."  
  
Lance laughed. "God, they're at it again, huh?"  
  
"Yeah, I know. Kitty won't stop talking about how much she hates him," Rogue said, rolling her eyes. Lance nodded in agreement.  
  
"Yeah, well I have to sympathize with her a little. He's not exactly the most tolerable person to live with. Believe me I know, this morning I had to listen to him complain first about sharing a bathroom with girls, then about Kitty, then about how since he lost a bet to Bobby he has to take over all of Bobby's chores," Lance said, running a hand through his hair.  
  
Rogue laughed. "You poor thing. Man, if he's taking over Bobby's chores, then him and Kitty are going to be stuck together for awhile!"  
  
"Yeah we better make a run for it, before they make us take sides," Lance said, winking at Rogue. Rogue smiled, and felt an uncharacteristic blush heat her cheeks.  
  
"Um, just wondering, do you want to go shoot pool down in the rec room," Rogue asked casually, her heart beating faster. What the heck just made me ask that?! I just met him, Rogue thought to herself.  
  
Lance smiled again and Rogue felt strangely elated. "Hey, I'd love to- --oh wait, jeez, I can't today. I promised Jubilee I'd go to a movie with her tonight," Lance said, slapping his forehead. Rogue swallowed her disappointment.  
  
"Oh hey, that's okay."  
  
"I'm really sorry Rogue, how about I take a raincheck on that?" Lance asked. "I won't take no for an answer."  
  
Rogue laughed. "Okay okay, fine."  
  
"Great."  
  
"Great."  
  
They looked up at the same moment, smiling silently. This is so weird, Rogue thought, I'm having such a good time with a person I barely know. I haven't felt this comfortable with a boy since….forever, Rogue realized with a start.  
  
"Hey guys!" Jubilee's voice sounded down the hall. Rogue blinked and the moment was broken.  
  
"Hey Jubes," Lance greeted.  
  
"Hey there," Jubilee said flirtatiously. Rogue looked at the floor, feeling an odd sense of disappointment. "Ready to go? You wanna come Rogue?"  
  
Rogue smiled at her friend's attempts to include her when it was obvious that Jubilee would much rather be alone with Lance. "That's okay, I think I'll just call it a night."  
  
"But it's only 6:00," Lance said, looking at his watch. Rogue coughed.  
  
"Well, maybe I'll go curl up with a novel or something," Rogue amended.  
  
"Oh, are you sure, Rogue?" Jubilee asked, slipping on her yellow trench coat.  
  
Rogue nodded firmly. "Well let's go then, Jubes. Nice meeting you Rogue, remember I'm gonna take you up on that raincheck," Lance called, smiling  
  
Rogue smiled and waved, and made her way back to the room sighing. This sucked. He likes Jubilee, Rogue reminded herself sternly, no point in hoping for the impossible. 


	4. kitchen showdown

AUTHOR"S NOTE: not much else to say except I would really appreciate it if you keep the reviews coming. Thanx to all of you who already did, your advice was really helpful! Just in case you haven't noticed, I'm changing the perspectives of the characters so you can see their views on what's happening in the story. Just to make it a little more interesting (hehe)….I know I keep switching off between kitty and rogue, but I promise to stick in jubilee and bobby's POV as well! Oh yeah, one last thing: I ahem, forgot to put in the disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters (damn!), I never will, so don't sue me because I'm broke! There….hehe, anyways enjoy!  
  
Kitty gasped, feeling a telltale flush heat her cheeks as she stared unseeingly at Pietro standing at the doorway of the kitchen, his arms crossed in front of his chest. Great, Rogue left, and I'm stuck here to face the mother of all embarrassing situations, Kitty thought miserably.  
  
"So…let me get this straight…you think I'm conceited, a flirt," Pietro began, breaking the awkward silence between them. "Oh, and let's not forget, I'm the world's most annoying person."  
  
"Well, um….basically, yeah."  
  
"That's always a great thing to hear, especially when it comes from a whiny Valley Girl," Pietro said stepping forward a little.  
  
"Me, whiny?! Right, Mr. I-think-I'll-wake-up-the-whole-mansion- because-I-ran-out-of-hot-water!" Kitty shot back angrily.  
  
"I was getting ready for a date, you remember what that's like, don't you?"  
  
Kitty could practically feel the smoke coming from her ears. The nerve! There he goes again implying I can't get a date!, thought Kitty furiously.  
  
"Yeah I remember! It's just that I have better things to do, unlike you who takes out a different airhead every night!" Kitty retaliated, throwing the dishrag on a nearby chair and stepping closer.  
  
"Uh huh, right, the only airhead I see is right in front of me," Pietro said, smirking, his blue eyes glinting.  
  
"You're so charming, Pietro, it's no wonder your so popular, and now we can add eavesdropping to your long list of delightful qualities," Kitty said sarcastically.  
  
"What? I wasn't eavesdropping!" Pietro protested.  
  
"Sure, you just ~happened~ to be walking by," Kitty said with a look of disbelief on her face.  
  
"Actually, Pryde, I lost a bet to Drake and I have to take over all his chores for 2 weeks, even the extra Kitchen detail he got for pulling that little stunt," Pietro said.  
  
Kitty stopped. "What? You mean not only do I have to wash these dishes but I have to do it with YOU?!"  
  
"Ah, that's right, enjoy it while you can. It isn't often you get the company of Pietro Maximoff," Pietro said, flashing her his arrogant I'm-so- hot look. Kitty rolled her eyes.  
  
"Save that smile for Bianca or some other bimbo cheerleader, Don Juan" Kitty told him, turning back to the dishes.  
  
"Why, are you jealous Pryde?" Pietro asked laughing.  
  
"As if! That girl has the IQ of a shoelace," muttered Kitty.  
  
"Yeah," Pietro agreed, running the water over a dirty dish, "But she's hot."  
  
"Great, she's a moron and you're a superficial boy toy, you two are perfect for each other," Kitty scoffed.  
  
Pietro glared at her. "I am NOT a boy toy, okay. You need to lighten up, Pryde, get a date, get a life!"  
  
Kitty spun to face him angrily. "I have a life, and my name is Kitty, not Pryde! God, what is with guys and calling everyone by their last names!"  
  
"Geez, I'm sorry, if you'd told me it annoyed you so much, I would have done it sooner," Pietro snickered.  
  
"God, you are the most obnoxious, egotistical, jerk I've ever met!" Kitty yelled.  
  
"And YOU, are the prissiest, most irritating girl I've ever met!" Pietro shot back.  
  
"I would rather drop dead than spend another second with you!" Kitty said, stepping closer until they were face to face.  
  
"Same here! You won't have to anyways, cause I'm done!" Pietro retorted, gesturing towards the large pile of clean dishes lying in a pile to the right.  
  
"Fine!"  
  
"Fine!"  
  
Kitty watched as he stalked out of the kitchen, shaking with anger. What's wrong with me? I'm usually the peacemaker, Kitty thought ironically. Then turning back to her own dishes she scowled .It just figured that Pietro could finish an enormous pile of dishes in less than a minute. Phasing isn't really helpful here, Kitty thought sighing, picking up another dish.  
  
The next morning, Kitty sat in her chemistry class, carefully pouring the blue liquid into the beaker.  
  
"Oh Pietro, your so smart! Can you help me mix this thingy!"  
  
The head cheerleader Bianca's annoying voice filtered through Kitty's concentration and some of the blue liquid spilled onto the front of her white shirt. Kity groaned.  
  
"Great, just great," Kitty said, staring as the liquid seeped into the shirt. Rogue clucked her tongue sympathetically. "Here let me get you some paper towels for that," Rogue said.  
  
Kitty sighed. "Thanks Rogue, but it's okay, I'll get it." She scanned the room looking for the roll of paper towels, and found the only available one standing at the corner of Pietro's desk. It just figures, Kitty thought darkly, as she watched Pietro flirt shamelessly with the curvy cheerleader, who was busy twirling her hair and switching off between flirting with Pietro and Bobby. Just get the paper towels and ignore her, Kitty instructed herself sternly. Now was not the time to get in an argument.  
  
She walked purposefully towards their table, pushing back her brown her back with one hand. Pietro stopped talking, and raised his eyebrows as Kitty neared.  
  
"I'm honored that you stopped by, Pryde," Pietro said smiling. Kitty glared at him and silently grabbed the roll of paper towels.  
  
"Nice stain you have there, Kitty. " Bianca remarked snidely. "It's understandable though, not everyone can have my grace and poise."  
  
Kitty clenched her teeth and responded sweetly, "You're right Bianca, I want to be like you so much, but I don't think I could ever copy that vacant, slack-jawed bimbo look that you've perfected." Bianca's jaw dropped in indignation and Kitty saw Rogue and Bobby trying to smother their laughter out of the corner of her eye.  
  
Bianca glared furiously at Kitty, and turned to Pietro. "Aren't you going to say anything?!"  
  
Kitty looked at Pietro, and was almost sure that she saw him trying not to smile. He caught Kitty's eye for a second, and she felt a grin tug at the corners of her mouth. He's really good-looking when he smiles, Kitty thought gazing at him, oblivious to Bianca's deadly glare. Wait a second, what am I thinking?!, Kitty thought astonished at her own thoughts. I must be really losing it if I'm thinking of Pietro like THAT!, Kitty thought shaking her head.  
  
Ripping of a long piece of the roll, Kitty broke the moment and walked back to her desk. "Wow nice going Kitty!" Jubilee whispered excitedly. Rogue nodded and added smiling, "I don't think I've ever seen her look so pissed."  
  
"Yeah, especially when you called her a "slack jawed bimbo!" Bobby said, laughing. Kitty giggled, it HAD felt good to put Bianca in her place. It was funny how Pietro hadn't stuck up for Bianca at all, Kitty mused. Don't think too much of it, he hates you, Kitty reminded herself, thinking back to the night before. He's a jerk, he's a jerk, he's a jerk, Kitty chanted silently to herself. Now if she could only could keep thinking that. 


	5. who likes who?

NOTE: Hey everyone, please keep the reviews coming, they are really helpful. I'd love to see what u guys think about the bobby/jubilee pairing…..hehe, I'm trying my best to write it like the character would see things. Anyways, enjoy and don't forget to R/R, please!  
  
  
  
Bobby Drake, twirled the mechanical pencil around in his fingers, bored silly. Almost against his will, he found his eyes returning to Jubilee, who was sitting with Kitty near the front. Sighing, he began doodling her name on the front of his binder. This is pathetic Drake, Bobby told himself, just ask her out! But he knew it was easier said than done. The petite Asian girl with the beautiful blue eyes had been his best friend for years and somewhere along the line he'd found himself falling for her. Hard.  
  
But for one reason or the other, Jubilee had continued to see him as only a friend, even as he'd struggled over the years to cover his feelings, knowing that it would ruin their friendship if she ever found out. Bobby shuddered at the idea. He could picture the look of shock and most likely, pity that would cross her face. She'd probably say something like, "Bobby, you're my best friend but I really can't see you in any other way. Can we still go on being friends?" Except it wouldn't work that way, because things would probably become really awkward, and they'd end up avoiding each other. Nope, Bobby thought again, it was a bad idea to tell Jubilee now. Besides, he didn't stand much of a chance now that the new guy, Alvers had stepped into the picture. He winced, as he remembered the dreamy way Jubilee way had talked about the new mutant.  
  
Sighing, Bobby turned back to the lab sheet. Dr. McCoy would not be happy if they didn't finish the lab by the end of class.  
  
"I guess we probably have to get started now, Rogue. I mean we only have, like, 10 minutes, so-," Bobby broke off when he realized his lab partner wasn't hearing a thing she was saying. Rogue seemed to be almost in a trance, a soft smile on her face. Bobby followed her gaze and saw that it led straight to Lance, who was staring right back at her. He frowned, what was it about that guy that had every girl in the mansion drooling after him?  
  
"Hey, Rogue- Rogue," Bobby said finally, waving a hand in front of his friend's face. Rogue jumped and blushed at being caught staring. She quickly averted her eyes and turned back to face Bobby.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I think we should start working on this right now, or else we won't finish," Bobby explained. Rogue nodded, but Bobby noticed she was still sneaking looks at Lance. Hmmm, maybe I ought to pay more attention, this could get interesting, Bobby thought, picking his pencil up once again.  
  
"Hey Bobby!", a high-pitched voice broke through his thoughts. Bobby didn't even have to turn around to know it was Bianca, no one else could sound that annoying. He rolled his eyes at Rogue who made a pained gesture. "Sooo, what are you doing?" Bianca asked, draping herself along the table.  
  
The lab, you idiot, Bobby felt like saying. Instead he forced a smile on his face, and replied, "Oh, you know the usual." Bianca let out a laugh that made her sound like a bleating goat.  
  
"Your so cute, you know? Especially when you smile." Bobby could see Rogue rolling her eyes, and he had to fight from following suit. It was obvious enough that the only reason she was throwing herself at him now was because she was, for the moment anyway, mad at Pietro. He decided to tune her out and watch Jubilee, who was making her way towards Lance's desk. Uh oh, Bobby thought.  
  
"Bobby are you listening? Anyways, when my parents named me they picked Bianca because it's just like me; beautiful and sexy," Bianca announced, smoothing down the front of her mini-skirt. Not to mention, boring and brain-dead, Bobby thought, burying his head in his hands. God, why can't there be a fire-drill or an emergency meeting or something? If he had to listen to Bianca blab on about another insignificant detail of her life…he'd…he'd…..~Bobby, you shouldn't let her bother you ~  
  
Bobby jumped, as Prof. X's gentle voice broke through his thoughts. Oops, sorry Professor, Bobby apologized silently. ~That's okay, now will you please inform everyone that there is to be a meeting directly after class downstairs?~  
  
Sure Professor, but what's the meeting about?, Bobby asked. ~That, Bobby, is a surprise. Now I shall let you get back to your class~ . The Professor's voice faded and Bobby frowned thoughtfully.  
  
Finally, the bell rung and Bianca, thankfully, had already sauntered back to her desk to flirt with Pietro again.  
  
"Hey Rogue, the Professor told me there's a meeting right after class downstairs, can you tell Jubes and Kitty?" Bobby asked.  
  
"Sure Bobby," Rogue said, about to turn around, when she suddenly stopped. "What's that?" she asked, looking at Bobby strangely.  
  
"What's what?" Bobby asked, then looked down in horror to see she was looking at the paper with all his love-sick doodling. Bobby groaned, and Rogue grinned wickedly.  
  
"Well, well, isn't this interesting. I never thought I'd see the day Bobby Drake would write a girl's name and draw little tiny hearts around it," Rogue teased, smiling.  
  
"Atleast I wasn't making puppy dog eyes the whole period!" Bobby retorted, feeling his cheeks heat up.  
  
Rogue turned a beet-root red. "What are you talking about?" she asked hotly.  
  
"I'm talking about your mondo crush on-," Bobby started to reply.  
  
"Whose crush?" Jubilee's voice broke in. Rogue blanched as Jubilee and Kitty walked up to them, their books tucked into their arms.  
  
"Um, er-," Bobby stuttered as Rogue gave him a warning look. "I don't know," he said quickly.  
  
Jubilee looked at Rogue who's face was flushed with embarrassment. "Rogue? You have a crush and you didn't tell us?" Jubilee asked incredulously.  
  
"No, I do not," Rogue said defensively.  
  
"You're blushing!" Kitty exclaimed. Bobby could understand her surprise, it wasn't often Rogue blushed. Uh oh, if Jubilee found out who Rogue liked, it would not be pretty, Bobby realized, racking his brain to find a way out of the tense situation.  
  
"Come on, Roguey, tell us. We won't tell a soul, I swear," Jubilee promised, holding up a hand.  
  
"Actually guys, we gotta run. The Professor's expecting us downstairs for a meeting now," Bobby interrupted quickly. Rogue flashed him a grateful look, and began scooping her books into her backpack. Jubilee groaned a little, and stuck her hands into the yellow trenchcoat.  
  
Kitty sighed, "I hope he isn't going to give us another lecture about getting along with the new mutants. He's already called me in about that."  
  
"What do you mean? I think the new recruits are a great addition. Things were getting really boring around here. What'd the Professor say to you anyways?" Jubilee inquired.  
  
"Oh you know, he said that he knew it must be hard for me to adjust to having new mutants around, but he said, and I quote, "Pietro must be having an even harder time fitting into his new settings. I want everyone to feel welcome here, and Kitty, I want you to promise you will try your hardest to be nice to him," Kitty said, in her best imitation of the Professor.  
  
Bobby laughed, "That sounds like something he'd say."  
  
"Hey guys," Lance called, following them out of the classroom.  
  
"Hey Lance!" Jubilee said, smiling. Bobby and Kitty followed suit, but Rogue was silent, looking away.  
  
"Hey Rogue," Lance greeted quietly. Rogue looked up and murmured a hello.  
  
"Um, you guys go ahead, I need to go..do something," Rogue said, averting her eyes, and walking down the hall. Bobby exchanged a concerned glance with Kitty. Jubilee looked confused as she looked at her friend who was walking away.  
  
"You think she's mad we bugged her about her new crush?" asked Jubilee worriedly. Bobby watched as Lance's eyes narrowed.  
  
"What crush?" he asked sharply.  
  
"I dunno, but she likes someone and won't tell us who it is," Jubilee said, shrugging her shoulders. And let's keep it that way, Bobby thought to himself.  
  
"Do you guys know who it might be?" Lance asked casually. Jubilee and Kitty looked at each other and shook their heads.  
  
"Um, I think we should hurry guys. We're going to be late," Bobby reminded them quickly. Lance nodded, still frowning, They trooped down the stairs to meet the professor, each one wrapped in their own thoughts. 


	6. the professor's proposal

NOTE: Hey everyone! Thanx so much for the reviews, I absolutely love getting them, they are the only motivation I have for writing new chapters so please keep writing them. Yes, just to reiterate, this is sort of a weird combination of the movie scenario and x-men evo…..it's hard to explain. I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write but consider this is sort of a chapter intended to move the plot along. I promise I will get to the Pietro/Kitty conflict very very soon, I just have to deal w/ Rogue's problem…hehe. Please, everyone I would love if u gave me advice on what should happen next etc. thanx!  
  
  
  
Rogue walked quickly down the hall, and finally sat down on one of the benches in the empty cafeteria hall. God, why did his presence affect her so much? She had tried her hardest to convince herself that a guy like Lance was all wrong for her, but the fact of the matter was the more time she spent with him, the clearer it became that they were perfect for each other. She rarely saw him; in fact, the only times she did see him was in classes, or whenever Jubilee wasn't talking to him. But the few times they had spoken, she felt inexplicably drawn to him.  
  
This is stupid, Rogue told herself sternly. One of your best friends really likes him, so that makes him off-limits to you. Yes, that certainly was the truth. Jubilee hadn't ceased to talk about Lance since the day he'd arrived at the mansion, keeping Kitty and her awake up at all hours of the night. And Lance seemed to like Jubilee as well. But whenever Lance looked at her, Rogue was sure that he felt something as well, something deeper. Today had been no exception. Whenever she was in the same room with him, Rogue felt as if the room itself were charged with electricity.  
  
"Oh no," Rogue groaned suddenly, as she realized she was late for the meeting downstairs with the Professor. She leapt up from the bench and took the stairs 3 at a time. "I'm here, sorry," Rogue announced breathlessly.  
  
"Are you alright Rogue," Dr. Grey asked concernedly. Rogue nodded quickly.  
  
"I'm fine, really."  
  
"Okay," Dr. Grey said uncertainly, then flashed her a look that clearly meant she wanted to have a heart-to-heart later on. Rogue nodded, and sat down next to Kitty.  
  
"So what's this all about?" Jubilee asked curiously. The other mutants began to chorus similar questions and the Professor smiled patiently.  
  
"The reason I've called you here today is because I've noticed that, especially with the addition of new mutants at our school, you all need a chance to learn the value of teamwork and cooperation. Your danger room sessions with Cyclops and Logan only teach you fighting skills .However, in order to make proper use of these skills, you have to learn to cooperate and help one another," the Professor said.  
  
Rogue exchanged a skeptical look with Bobby. Is he going to make us sit in a circle holding hands and singing Kumbayah?, Rogue wondered silently. ~No, Rogue, that is not exactly what I had in mind~ Rogue blushed, realizing she must have been projecting her thoughts loudly again. Dr. Grey looked at her in amusement, as the Professor continued.  
  
"This is why I've organized somewhat of a treasure hunt," the Professor said, pausing. Rogue sat up in her seat, now this sounded interesting. "You have all been assigned a partner. Now, tomorrow morning, Cyclops will take you all to the island of Genosha. It is an uncharted island about ten miles from here where the treasure hunt will take place. Now, make no mistake, this is a competition and the objective is for you and your partner to reach the finish line first.  
  
"What do we get?" Kitty asked eagerly.  
  
"Let's put it this way, Half-pint. The losers get extra sessions in the Danger Room with me, 2 hours a day," Logan said, smirking at the looks of horror on the kids' faces.  
  
"Nothing like negative reinforcement to put fire in a man's blood, " Pietro muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Glad your so agreeable to it," Logan said, a grin tugging at his stern mouth.  
  
"Now here are the partner assignments; we wanted to put a little variety so you would get the opportunity to be in a situation where you will have to work out your differences for a common goal," the Professor said, throwing a kindly but pointed look in Kitty and Pietro's direction. "Ahem, the partners will be as follows; Bobby and Jubilee, Kitty and Pietro, and finally Rogue and Lance."  
  
Rogue's eyes widened. Did she hear right? She was going to be alone on a deserted island with Lance? Her eyes drifted and she found Lance smiling at her She felt someone tap her shoulder suddenly, and turn around to face a very disappointed Jubilee.  
  
"Man, this sucks. Neither one of us got to be partnered with our crush," Jubilee said, looking longingly over at Lance, oblivious to Bobby's pained expression. Rogue swallowed hard and forced herself to appear casual.  
  
"Yeah, I know, but come on Bobby's not that bad, you could have gotten Todd or something," Rogue said teasingly.  
  
Jubilee giggled. "True, true, but being on an island with Lance would have been the best," Jubilee added sighing a little. Yeah, I know what you mean, Rogue thought feeling excitement build up in her, and then squelched it instantly when she looked again at Jubilee's crestfallen expression. Rogue felt horrible, as if she'd somehow betrayed her friend, even though she'd done nothing yet.  
  
"Before you all disperse, there is one very important thing I had forgotten to mention," the Professor said. Rogue turned quickly to face him, as did everyone else. "Now in order to simulate real-life combat, we've decided that you and your partner are solely responsible for finding your way to the finish line by the end of the day. If you are not there, we will leave without you."  
  
"Professor, that's cold!" Bobby protested.  
  
The Professor smiled gently. "I'm not doing this to be cruel. In fact this was entirely Logan's idea."  
  
"Why am I not surprised?" Bobby muttered, and then shut up instantly at Logan's answering growl.  
  
"I think it's an excellent idea because it will put some pressure on you all to succeed and demonstrate your talents. You and your partner will have to rely only on each other to reach your goal."  
  
"So what, if we miss Mr. Summers at the finish line by the end of the day, we're stranded on the island forever?" Jubilee asked incredulously.  
  
Dr. Grey laughed and shook her head. "Not at all Jubilee. We will of course come back for you….in a day or two."  
  
"What are we supposed to do until then? What are we supposed to eat?" Todd asked frantically.  
  
"The island of Genosha is abundant with fruits of all kinds."  
  
"Fruits…yum," Pietro muttered sarcastically.  
  
"This should give you and your partner more incentive to reach the finish line first. That and the fact that you won't have to endure Logan's extra sessions in the Danger Room," Mr. Summers said. Rogue could have sworn that behind the red shades, his eyes were full of mirth.  
  
"Hey wait a sec, what about Pietro? With his powers, him and Kitty could easily reach the finish line first," Lance spoke up suddenly. Jubilee and Bobby chimed in with similar protests.  
  
Logan whistled loudly with 2 fingers and the room quieted. "You're right Lance, it isn't fair. That's why, during this treasure hunt, Pietro is not allowed to use his powers."  
  
"What?! That's totally bogus!" Pietro burst out. "I can't help it if they're intimidated by my skills!"  
  
Kitty rolled her eyes at Rogue, who laughed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Pietro, but if you used your powers, it would put the other teams at a disadvantage," Dr. Grey interjected.  
  
"What, look at who I'm partnered with? You don't call ~that~ a disadvantage?" Pietro asked, jerking a thumb in Kitty's direction.  
  
"Keep it up motor-mouth, and you'll be limping back to your room," Kitty threatened, her brown eyes sparkling with anger.  
  
"Kitty, Pietro, please refrain from verbally abusing each other, it is most unhealthy," Dr. McCoy advised gently.  
  
Lance smiled, and poked Rogue. "We got this treasure hunt in the bag. I mean look at those two. They'll be too busy trying to kill each other to focus on the hunt."  
  
Rogue nodded, her hazel eyes sparkling. "Yeah, and then we can laugh at them when they have to get up at 5:00 to go to the Danger Room."  
  
They both were quiet a moment, imagining it, and then upon looking at each other, burst out laughing,  
  
"They'll hate us for sure, especially Pietro," Lance added after catching his breath.  
  
"Not as much as they'll hate Logan after he gives them one of his extra-strength pain-inducing workouts," Rogue said giggling.  
  
"I'm glad you're my partner Rogue," Lance said seriously. Rogue stopped laughing, and her mouth suddenly went dry. He was looking at her almost tenderly.  
  
"Me too," Rogue whispered, feeling confused at the strength of her emotion towards him. It felt like centuries since she had felt so much at ease with a boy. Most of the other guys in the mansion, with the exception of Bobby, still acted frightened around her even though she was always cloaked from head to toe, and wearing her trademark gloves.  
  
"Hey what are you guys looking so serious about?" Jubilee broke in lightly, with Bobby following closely behind.  
  
Lance and Rogue looked at each other and blushed. "Nothing," they said at the same time. Jubilee looked at them strangely.  
  
"You guys look kinda flushed," Jubilee remarked curiously. Rogue swallowed hard.  
  
"Well, um, it's really hot you know," Lance said lamely. Rogue could see Bobby quickly trying to cover his grin.  
  
"Yeah, it is, whew," Rogue exclaimed quickly, taking off her sweatshirt to demonstrate, even though she was freezing. Bobby burst out laughing, and Jubilee looked at him strangely.  
  
Rogue glared at him, wishing she could tell him mentally to shut up. Then feigning a yawn, she said quickly "I think I'll go report to the lab to help Dr. Grey, this is the last day of my punishment."  
  
"Yeah I'd better go too, Mr. Summers will be expecting me in the garage," Bobby added, giving Lance a long measured look.  
  
"Later guys, good luck tomorrow. Bobby go to bed early, because if you make me lose I'll kick your icy butt!" teased Jubilee. Bobby threw her a smile and nodded, trooping after Rogue who waved goodbye to Jubilee and carefully averting her eyes from Lance.  
  
When they were alone, Bobby turned to Rogue and gave her a pointed look. " So, when are you planning on telling Jubilee about Lance?"  
  
Rogue looked down at her hands and said softly "There's nothing to tell." Bobby snorted in disbelief. "Right Rogue. You're one of the most straight-forward people I've ever known, and you usually go after what you want. So why don't you just tell Jubilee?"  
  
Rogue shot him an incredulous look "I'm not about to lose one of my best friends over a boy, okay? It's just a crush, I"ll get over it," she finished quietly.  
  
Bobby looked at her and shook his head. "I still think you should confess."  
  
"Sure, as soon as you tell Jubilee how you've been in love with her for years," Rogue shot back.  
  
"No way, it's better that she doesn't know."  
  
"My point exactly." The two friends looked at each other stubbornly and laughed.  
  
"God, we're pathetic," Bobby remarked. Rogue giggled.  
  
"Hey speak for yourself!"  
  
Rogue stood at the entrance to the lab and sighed. "I hope everything works out soon, because this is giving me an ulcer."  
  
"Yeah, really. Seeya tomorrow Rogue," Bobby said finally, as Rogue disappeared into the lab.  
  
Rogue waved and then pressed her fingers to her temple. She had reached a decision. She would simply hold Lance at arm's distance and forbid herself to look at him as anything more than a friend. Jubilee and him will make a great couple, Rogue told herself, and you are going to be supportive friend. Rogue sighed. Why did doing the right thing have to suck so much? 


	7. it has to be the sun...

NOTE: please review, I really need some idea as to what should happen next with jubilee and bobby. Thanx! Enjoy……  
  
  
  
"Up and at em' Firecracker!" a loud voice boomed into Jubilee's ear. Jubilee groaned sleepily and shut her eyes resolutely. There was no WAY she was getting up this early. What time was it anyways? 3 a.m.?  
  
But the voice persisted. "You have 5 seconds before your getting cold water sloshed all over your face," the voice warned. Jubilee's face puckered in irritation. NOW she recognized the voice, it was Bobby! It figured, Jubilee thought darkly, who else but her well-meaning best-friend would wake her up at this ungodly hour?  
  
"Leave me alone!" Jubilee said, in mid-yawn. Bobby shook his head firmly.  
  
"Come on, Kitty, Rogue and everyone else are already in the Blackbird. Today's the day of the big treasure hunt, remember?" Bobby said, waving a hand in front of Jubilee's face.  
  
"Oh yeah, jeez, why didn't you tell me sooner!" Jubilee said excitedly, throwing off her covers. "Go on, I"ll meet you in the Blackbird in a second!"  
  
"Okay Jubes, later."  
  
Jubilee looked after him waving. Then as soon as he left, she plopped down on her bed and curled up again. Sorry Bobby, but sleep wins out, Jubilee thought snuggling into her warm pillow. All of a sudden, the covers were thrown off again.  
  
"Bobby-hehe, back so soon? I was going to get up…really," Jubilee said, trying to sound convincing.  
  
"Haha, I don't buy that act for a minute. Muster up some energy now, or we're going to end up losing the treasure hunt, and then we'll have to get up at 5:00 a.m. every day for Logan's workout session," Bobby reminded, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
Jubilee frowned. He had a point. A very good point. "All right, all right," Jubilee said resignedly, jumping off her bed in one fluid motion. Just let me get ready."  
  
Bobby smiled at her, "Great, I'll seeya in the Blackbird, okay?"  
  
Jubilee nodded, and retreated into the bathroom.  
  
20 minutes later, she stood at the entrance to the Blackbird. She scanned the seats, and found oddly enough that Rogue had taken the seat next to Lance. Hmmm, that's weird, Jubilee thought, she usually sits with Kitty. I'm making too big of a deal out of it, after all they're partners for the treasure hunt, Jubilee reminded herself.  
  
Suddenly, Jubilee thought back to last night when she had come upon Rogue and Lance again. The way they had looked at each other…..as if no one in the whole world existed. Could Rogue's crush be-….? Jubilee mentally slapped herself. You're losing it, Jubes, Jubilee told herself, laughing a little at the idea of Lance and Rogue. But regardless, Rogue HAD been acting pretty weird lately. In fact so had Bobby…….they had both been relatively quiet. Jubilee stopped in her tracks. Oh my god, I can't believe I didn't see it before, Jubilee thought incredulously, Bobby and Rogue like each other! That explains all those weird looks they keep giving each other and what happened in science yesterday!  
  
Jubilee knew she should have felt happy that two of her best friends liked each other, but oddly enough, she could feel a strange inkling akin to jealousy in the pit of her stomach. She had always been Bobby's closest confidante, the first person he'd run to tell his stupid jokes too…..would all that change now? Jubilee shook her head. This was dumb. I like LANCE, Jubilee told herself sternly, it was crazy to think of Bobby as anything more than a friend. Bobby would laugh his head off if he knew what she had been thinking for that split second! Lance, is the guy for me, Jubilee said again resolutely, eyeing the handsome brown-haired guy seated next to Rogue.  
  
"Hey Jubes, there's a free seat here," Bobby called, patting the space next to him. Jubilee took the seat, and decided to focus on planning a strategy for winning. Better not to think of all these crazy crushes now, Jubilee decided, opening the treasure map each pair had been given.  
  
"Alright, we have 6 hours to get to the finish line, where Mr. Summers will be with the Blackbird," Jubilee told Bobby. "Okay, here's my strategy: the Professor said we'd need our swimsuits right? Well, instead of letting it weigh us down, let's take it out of our backpacks, and wear it now."  
  
Bobby thought a moment and nodded. Ökay, here's another idea I had. Watch," he told her. Jubilee watched in fascination, as Bobby turned the ground beneath him into solid ice. "See, now we can ice skate."  
  
"That's great, but we're wearing walking shoes," Jubilee pointed out.  
  
"So? It works almost as well as real skates."  
  
"This is great. We'll definitely be moving faster than everyone on ice, " Jubilee said excitedly.  
  
Moments later when they'd both changed into their swimsuits, Jubilee skated freely ahead of Bobby. Oh this is the best, thought Jubilee exaltingly, I feel great, I feel free, I feel…..cold. It's a small price to pay for winning, Jubilee thought sternly, trying to stop her teeth from chattering.  
  
"Jubes your freezing, come on, let's stop," Bobby said, sliding to a stop. As soon as he did, the ice melted immediately, revealing the hot sand beneath his feet.  
  
"I'm fine- ACHOO!" Jubilee sneezed, once, twice, and then 3 more times. Weak, she sank to her knees on the sand.  
  
"Jubes I'm sorry," Bobby began apologetically.  
  
"It's okay, it's not your fau-ACHOO!"  
  
Jubilee sighed. Great, she would probably end up with a gross runny nose, which would probably scare off Lance permanently. "I probably look like the bride of Frankenstein," moaned Jubilee, propping her chin up on her knees.  
  
"Actually Jubes, I think you'd make a beautiful bride," Bobby said seriously, looking her in the eye. Jubilee's eyebrows shot up. Then looking at him, she realized he meant it. A blush slowly worked its way up her cheeks.  
  
"Um, thanks Bobby," Jubilee said awkwardly, feeling a strange sensation in her stomach. Since when did Bobby become so…..sweet? Or was he always this sweet and I just didn't notice, Jubilee wondered, as she sifted the sand with her fingers.  
  
Bobby smiled, and Jubilee felt the same jumpy feeling in her heart. Cripes, what is wrong with me? Jubilee wondered, feeling the blush in her cheeks intensify. "So how do you think the other groups are doing?" Jubilee asked casually, changing the subject.  
  
Bobby shook his head. "I have no idea."  
  
"I do, thanks to my cold, I bet everyone's doing better than us. I'm sorry, Bobby," Jubilee said despondently.  
  
"That's okay, I need the extra exercise anyways," Bobby said jokingly,  
  
"No you don't, you have a great body," Jubilee protested, then after realizing what she said, clapped her hand over her mouth. Did I just say that?!,. Jubilee thought horrified. Keeping her eyes to the floor, she got up quickly. "Um, I think I'm feeling better. Why don't we keep going?"  
  
Bobby gave her a long look, but Jubilee refused to look up. "Okay, if your sure, let's go," he said finally, his voice sounding strangely sad.  
  
Jubilee trudged on ahead, lost in thought. I think the sun must be having its effect of me, Jubilee thought decidedly, I mean, why else would I be checking out my best friend who is in love with my other best friend? It's the sun, just the sun, Jubilee told herself. Sneaking a peek at Bobby she blushingly noted how muscled he was. Ah! What am I thinking? I LIKE LANCE, Jubilee thought, rubbing her temples. It must be the sun…..it had to be. 


	8. trouble in paradise

NOTE: hey everyone! I had lots of fun writing this chapter hehe…..and I really want to know what you guys thought of it, so please review! Tell me what you liked, you didn't like, anything! Okay…I'm done…..oh yeah, remember, I don't any of these characters, yada yada…..anyways, enjoy!  
  
  
  
The hot sun beat down on Kitty as she hoisted her heavy backpack a little higher while Pietro carried his own enormous backpack as easily as a box of Kleenex, barely breaking a sweat. Kitty looked at the sparkling ocean and sighed. Too bad they couldn't just enjoy the beauty of the island instead of walking a million miles in the blistering heat. Suddenly….*SNAP*…..Kitty groaned as her backpack strap tore and fell to the floor with a thud. Great, just great, Kitty thought, rubbing her aching neck with one hand.  
  
"What's the hold up, Pryde?" Pietro's irritating voice called. Then, turning around, began to laugh as he looked from the torn backpack to Kitty's face. Pietro tried to speak and then burst into laughter again much to Kitty's consternation.  
  
"I'm glad you're finding this so funny!" Kitty exploded finally.  
  
"Well, you shouldn't have packed so much," Pietro gasped, holding his stomach.  
  
"I didn't! All I had in there was my swimsuit, sun screen, sandals, water, a snack-," Kitty began to list.  
  
"Yeah yeah, and a partridge in a pear tree," Pietro interrupted impatiently. "There's a very easy solution to this," he said, striding back to where Kitty stood, and opening up her backpack, threw her swimsuit and her water bottle onto the sand. Then with one fluid motion, he picked up the backpack and hurled into the ocean. Kitty watched in shock, as the backpack landed into the water with a SPLAT and then began to bob crazily.  
  
"You jerk! What is wrong with you!" Kitty yelled, throwing up her hands. Pietro turned to glare at her.  
  
"Nothing, I did you a favor! Nobody asked you to bring every single thing you own on this treasure hunt!" Pietro retorted.  
  
"Right, well I'm the one who had to pack the compass, and now it's probably somewhere on the ocean floor!" Kitty said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"We don't need a compass, I'm an excellent guide," Pietro said confidently.  
  
"Well tell me then, Fearless Leader, how come we've been walking for close to 2 hours and we haven't even seen the first flag?" Kitty demanded. "The Professor told us there would be 3 flags throughout the path to the finish line."  
  
Pietro rolled his eyes. "Who cares about the flags? Do you have to follow every single stupid rule the Professor gives you?"  
  
"No!" Kitty said hotly. "Why can't you just admit that you don't know where we are?!"  
  
Pietro glared at her. "I know exactly where we are, we're probably way ahead of everyone else!"  
  
"Or way behind," Kitty interjected, fluffing out her brown hair. "From now on, I'm navigating. I think we're somewhere near Java point."  
  
"No way, Pryde. We passed that eons ago!"  
  
"What does the map say?" Kitty asked tersely.  
  
Pietro reached into the pockets of his cargo shorts, and frowned. "That's odd," he muttered, reaching into the other pocket. Kitty bit her lip.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I put the map right here in my pocket and now it's not there," Pietro said slowly.  
  
"WHAT?! You…lost the map!" Kitty said disbelievingly.  
  
"Well….,uh," Pietro muttered, looking away.  
  
"I can't believe this, we're lost, and we're going to be last," Kitty said bleakly, sitting down on the sand.  
  
"We're not going to lose! No way!" Pietro argued determinedly. "Come on, let's change into our swimsuits."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because we're going to wade across that creek over there and take a shortcut through those trees. We'll get to the finish line twice as fast," Pietro said assuredly. "Now can you please turn around while I change?"  
  
"That's supposed to be my line!" Kitty said, unlacing her sneakers.  
  
"I wouldn't want you to be sneaking peeks at me and my glorious body," Pietro said, his eyes laughing at Kitty.  
  
"I wouldn't "sneak a peek" at your malnourished underdeveloped pathetic excuse for a body if you were the last boy on earth," Kitty retorted, turning her back to him.  
  
"Uh huh, that's what they all say," Kitty heard Pietro say behind her. Kitty gritted her teeth. It must have been somebody's idea of a sick joke to pair her with him! Cooperation, indeed! He's so full of himself, Kitty thought annoyed, as she pulled on her swimsuit.  
  
"Okay I'm done!" Pietro yelled.  
  
"Thanks for sharing," Kitty said dryly, turning around. Her jaw dropped open. Oh my dear god, Kitty thought. Pietro looked like a silver- haired Adonis in his dark blue trunks. Calm down, breathe Kitty, she told herself. How could a mere combination of smooth tanned stomach and muscled chest be so….distracting! I am not checking him out, I …am…not….checking…him…out, Kitty repeated to herself.  
  
"You're checking me out!"  
  
"You're insane!" Kitty said hotly, trying to fight the fierce blush that was working its way up her cheeks. Pietro was grinning widely at her.  
  
"You were, don't bother denying it….Kitty," Pietro said, in a softer voice. Kitty reeled in shock at being addressed for the first time by her name. He'd actually called her Kitty! Will wonders never cease, Kitty thought. Kitty snapped out of her thoughts when she realized he was mere inches from her face. Kitty looked up into his blue eyes, and felt the stupid blush jump again to her cheeks. Don't fall for those blue eyes, Kitty told herself sternly, you'll never live it down.  
  
As his lips came closer to hers, Kitty fought the urge to lean her head against his chest. This was Pietro…..Motormouth Extraordinaire! Why was it becoming harder and harder for her to hate him? In the beginning it had been so easy, Kitty thought. I can't be falling for him, Kitty thought desperately, and jumped back at the last second.  
  
Pietro's eyes flew open and he looked at her for a second. Kitty felt a wave of embarrassment, as she stared down at the sand, refusing to look up at him. An awkward silence settled between them. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, Pietro said casually, as if nothing had happened, "We should get going, we have about 2 hours left before Mr. Summers comes with the Blackbird."  
  
Kitty blinked in astonishment. He was pretending as if they hadn't almost kissed! A bolt of anger shot through Kitty as she stood up. Two could play this game, thought Kitty furiously. If he was going to act as if nothing had happened, so would she! "Yeah, let's move," Kitty said just as casually, and grabbing her water bottle, moved towards the creek, silently fuming.  
  
  
  
1 hour later, Kitty could have strangled him. They were now utterly and hopelessly lost, Kitty realized, slapping angrily at another mosquito. The "creek" that Pietro had suggested they wade through had in actuality been more like a swamp. A swamp infested with mosquitoes that viewed her as a human blood bank. To top it all off, the sun had gone down and now it was downright cold, and the final injustice was that she'd left her clothes on the sand next to the ocean. Instead of celebrating victory, she was stuck here shivering in her bathing suit, getting bitten to death by hundreds of mosquitoes, and stuck in the middle of a forest that looked like the one in The Blair Witch Project. And she had Pietro Maximoff to thank for all of it.  
  
"How much time do we have left?" Pietro asked her, running a hand through his hair.  
  
"What difference does it make?" Kitty muttered darkly. "Thanks to you and your shortcut from hell, we're probably going to die here."  
  
"Jeez, and they call you the optimistic one," Pietro remarked irritated.  
  
"Excuse me if being eaten alive has made me a little cranky," Kitty said sarcastically.  
  
"Look I'm sick of getting all the blame. If it weren't for me we wouldn't even be here!" Pietro shot back.  
  
"Yeah…. FREEZING to death!" Kitty exploded. "We are about 12 million miles from civilization, and I'm willing to bet that we'll be the last ones to reach the finish line because to even get out of this stupid forest we'd have to retrace our steps, which we can't do because YOU lost the map!"  
  
"That's just great, we're lost, and it's all my fault!" Pietro yelled. "If you hadn't been moving so slow maybe we could have still made it before it got dark!"  
  
"Well, it's too late now! Now hurry up, we have to get there before Mr. Summers leaves, because I for one, am NOT going to be stuck with YOU on this godforsaken island for 1 more day!" Kitty said angrily.  
  
"Well, I'm not thrilled at the idea either! Your about as much fun as a grandmother!"  
  
Kitty clenched her teeth, and forced herself to remain calm. The only thing that mattered at this point was getting off the island. Throwing him one last glare, she squared her shoulders and trudged on. I can't believe for a second I was thinking about how cute he was, Kitty thought, gnashing her teeth as she scratched another mosquito bite on her arm. Her face burned at the memory. One thing was sure, when they got out of here, she would definitely strangle him. That is, if they ever got out of there, Kitty thought grimly. 


	9. all that matters

NOTE: okay, tell me what you think of this chapter….hope you guys like it! Keep the reviews coming please….(  
  
  
  
Rogue squinted into the sun, and yelped in excitement as she caught sight of the 2nd flag. "Lance, look! We only have to find more flag, the finish line is probably really close by!"  
  
Lance peered over her shoulder. "Hey, you're right, how much time do we have?"  
  
"Mmm, about an hour. Plenty of time to get there, we're going to win," Rogue said excitedly.  
  
Lance grinned. "Yeah, we make a great team."  
  
Rogue smiled and then biting her lip, looked away. So far her resolve to be indifferent to Lance was not working. She had tried to stay quiet and aloof, but Lance had the uncanny ability to bring her out of her shell and make her laugh. Which was why it was killing her to give him up to Jubilee. But she had to. It was what a good friend would do.  
  
"Something wrong, Rogue?" Lance asked, frowning at the pensive look on her face. Rogue swallowed hard and smiled shakily.  
  
"Nothing, ah'm fine," Rogue said, her voice slipping into her Southern accent the way it always did when she was nervous.  
  
"Look Rogue, I, uh wanted to tell you something," Lance said, turning a little red.  
  
"What is it?" Rogue asked cautiously.  
  
"Ilikeyou," Lance said all in one breath, not daring to look at her.  
  
Rogue giggled. "Jeez, your getting as bad as Pietro. Slower, Lance, a lot slower."  
  
"I like you."  
  
Rogue stopped in her tracks. Yes! Yes! Yes! Oh God, I can't tell him how I feel, what about Jubilee? She'll be crushed, Rogue thought miserably. The moment she'd hoped for had finally happened and now she couldn't do anything about it.  
  
"Rogue? Rogue?" Rogue snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him with huge eyes, dreading what she was about to tell him. "Did you hear what I said?"  
  
"Yeah, ah heard," Rogue said,  
  
"Well, will you go out with me?" Lance asked hopefully, turning to face her.  
  
"No."  
  
"What?" Lance asked slowly, looking hurt.  
  
"No-, what I mean, is I can't," Rogue said miserably, tears pricking her eyes as she saw Lance's jaw tighten.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It's a lot of things. I just…can't," Rogue finished lamely, willing herself not to cry.  
  
"Can't or won't?" challenged Lance, crossing his arms in front of his chest.  
  
"Ah can't go out without you Lance, not so long as-," Rogue broke off, looking away.  
  
"So long as what?" Lance demanded, placing his hands firmly on her shoulders.  
  
"So long as I have the power to kill others with a single touch," Rogue answered him defiantly. Lance's eyes softened.  
  
"Rogue, I don't care about that. It's not important to me."  
  
"It may not be important to you now, but what about in a few years? Will you still be okay with never being able to touch me?" Rogue asked, walking away from him, gazing into the ocean.  
  
"I will always feel the same way about you, Rogue. What I feel for you is special, it's not going to change," Lance replied firmly. Tears pooled in Rogue's eyes. Why couldn't things ever be simple? It would be only too easy to stay here on the island forever with him.  
  
"Can we just drop it Lance?" Rogue asked, her voice shaking. Lance gave her a long look.  
  
"Fine," Lance finally said stiffly, turning away and began walking ahead of her. Rogue looked after him, crestfallen. You did the right thing Rogue, she told herself as a stray tear fell down her cheek.  
  
The silence was killing her. They had been walking steadily for almost an hour and Lance hadn't said a word to her. Rogue knew he was hurt, from the stiff curve of his back and the way his jaw was set. If only he knew the real reason she couldn't be with him!  
  
Rogue was so lost in thought that she didn't spot the rock in front of her, until her foot struck against it and she was face-first in the sand. "Mmf," Rogue tried to speak, spitting out sand. Lance turned around at the noise. His eyes widened and he ran to her side.  
  
"Are you alright Rogue?" Lance asked anxiously, reaching out a hand to help her up.  
  
Rogue coughed, making a face as she wiped the sand from her knees. "I'm fine, but I think I ate some sand. Yuck."  
  
Lance laughed as she stood up. Rogue looked at him with a sad little smile on her face. "Hey, do you notice something?" Lance asked her.  
  
Rogue frowned. "Not really, what do you mean?"  
  
"Look," Lance said pointing. Rogue gazed to where he pointed and gasped. The giant red flag that marked the finish line was less than 15 feet away. They were going to be the first!  
  
"Oh my god," Rogue said excitedly. Lance grabbed her hand, and they ran like maniacs towards the flag. When they got there, they stopped, gasping for breath.  
  
"We did it!" Rogue squealed in a very un-Rogue like way. Lance smiled at her, and his hazel eyes turned serious. He took her hand slowly.  
  
"Rogue, we're good together. You can't deny that," Lance said, tightening his grip on her gloved hand. Rogue swallowed. I know, Lance, Rogue thought sadly.  
  
"We just can't be together, Lance, okay? I told you already-,"Rogue said desperately.  
  
"What? Your mutation? Sorry, Rogue but that doesn't cut it. There has to be another reason," Lance said stubbornly.  
  
"I can't tell you," Rogue said, trying to slip her hand out of his.  
  
"Why not Rogue? Don't you think I atleast deserve an explanation?" Lance asked softly. He was right, Rogue thought.  
  
"It's Jubilee," Rogue said, looking down. Lance frowned, looking genuinely puzzled.  
  
"What about Jubilee?"  
  
"She….likes you too," Rogue said, the words sticking in her throat. Lance was quiet for a second.  
  
"I'm sorry about that, but I don't feel for her the way I do for you. Jubilee will understand, I promise," Lance said quietly. Rogue looked up.  
  
"Lance, I don't-," Rogue began. Lance shook his head.  
  
"Shhh, I'm not gonna hear it okay? You and I have something special. Give us a try. Please?" Lance pleaded, pulling her close. Rogue did not know how it happened but the next minute her arms were around his neck, and they were hugging. "We''re together, Rogue. That's all that matters," Lance whispered in her ear, stroking her hair.  
  
Rogue closed her eyes, and laid her head against his chest. He was right, Rogue thought contentedly, that was all that mattered. 


	10. uh oh.....

"How much further do you think is it? My legs feel like they're about to fall off," Jubilee groaned.  
  
Bobby looked at her and chuckled. "Oh two or three miles about," he said jokingly.  
  
Jubilee pushed him playfully. "Don't mess with a tired woman Drake."  
  
"Okay okay. We're actually pretty close. According to the map, we should be there in about 10 minutes," Bobby said checking his watch.  
  
"You think we're the first?" Jubilee asked, turning to him.  
  
Bobby smiled wryly. "I don't know. Pietro might have cheated and gotten there in 5 seconds….but who knows? We might be."  
  
Jubilee nodded and they smiled at each other. Bobby sighed contentedly. Things with Jubilee were going great. Bobby sent out a silent thank you to whoever had paired them up together. The sky had turned a dusky red and that combined with the sounds of the waves lapping against the shore had created a very romantic atmosphere. And the greatest thing was, she hadn't mentioned Lance once the whole time.  
  
Maybe I do have a chance, Bobby thought hopefully, sneaking a glance at Jubilee. She looked so beautiful with her black hair flying behind her. Something had changed between them today. Now it was all up to Jubilee to realize it, Bobby thought.  
  
"You know, I don't think we've really talked in the past few months. Seems like in the mansion there's always so much commotion, it's hard to just have quiet time," Jubilee remarked, suddenly.  
  
Bobby nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I've missed that too, I'm glad we came out here to the island," Bobby said quietly, looking earnestly at her.  
  
A faint blush rose to Jubilee's cheeks. "Me too," she said softly, and then looked away, as if embarrassed.  
  
Bobby felt something tug at his heart as he looked at her.  
  
Jubilee smiled and then said, "Hey, I think I see the red flag up there."  
  
"Oh yeah, come on," Bobby said, grabbing her hand and walking ahead. He sighed inwardly, wishing that they'd had more time on the island together. He's never felt so close to her. Bobby smiled, everything would come in time. For now, he would enjoy the fact that Jubilee and him were getting a lot closer.  
  
Suddenly he heard Jubilee gasp. Bobby looked over to see a white- faced Jubilee, gaping wordlessly at the scene in front of her. Bobby turned and felt tiny shocks going off in his mind. It was Rogue and Lance, and they were hugging each other, completely oblivious to their arrival. This was not going to be good, Bobby thought with dread.  
  
* More reviews PLEASe…..give me advice and comments! Hehe, did that sound threatening? Oops hehe…. 


	11. betrayal

Jubilee stared unseeingly at the way Rogue and Lance's arms were entwined around each other. Rogue…and Lance. It can't be, Jubilee thought disbelievingly, squeezing Bobby's hand so hard her knuckles turned white. Jubilee shook her head but the scene didn't disappear. In fact, it was even more vivid, if that were possible.  
  
I thought she liked Bobby, Jubilee thought feeling tears prick her eyes, and the whole time, it was her and Lance! A part of her, a part that she didn't even want to acknowledge herself, was strangely relieved that Rogue didn't like Bobby that way…..  
  
"Jubes, are you alright?" Bobby asked softly, his eyes holding a mixture of sadness and concern.  
  
"I'm fine….I'm just fine," Jubilee said through clenched teeth, the pain giving way to anger. All this time! Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two seemed to realize they were being watched and turned around.  
  
Jubilee watched as Rogue blanched and jumped guiltily away from Lance. Lance, however, stood in front of her almost protectively. Angry tears streaked Jubilee's face at this. How could she have been so blind to miss all the signs! The way they looked at each other, the way Rogue had been acting…..And here I was throwing myself at Lance like an idiot, thought Jubilee feeling hot anger and shame build up in her.  
  
"Jubilee, I'm so sorry," Rogue said, her eyes pleading.  
  
"How could you? How could both of you-?" Jubilee asked, her voice trailing off in hurt.  
  
"It's not like we planned it, it…just happened," Lance said quietly. Jubilee looked away. How am I even supposed to look him in the face again after the way I was acting around him, Jubilee thought miserably. How long had this been going on anyways?  
  
"Jubes, he's right, Rogue didn't do anything. I know," Bobby said quietly.  
  
"What?!" Jubilee said, spinning around to face him. "You knew about this too?!" Jubilee could hardly believe what she was hearing. Was she the only person who'd been completely in the dark about this?  
  
"Your supposed to be my best friend!" Jubilee yelled, swiping angrily at the tears that were falling fast now. "How could you let me go on thinking I had a chance with him?"  
  
"Jubes, I couldn't-," Bobby began.  
  
Jubilee cut him off. "Don't, just don't," Jubilee said her eyes tumultuous. "And you," Jubilee said, pointing to a stricken Rogue, her voice choked with tears, "you can have him all to yourself. I never want to talk to any of you again."  
  
"Jubilee, wait!" Bobby yelled.  
  
"Leave me alone!" Jubilee said sobbing, running as if the devil were after her. She paused at a rock to catch her breath.  
  
Some friends, Jubilee thought bitterly, wiping her eyes. Suddenly she heard the roar of an aircraft. Looking up, she saw the Blackbird landing with a cloud of dust on the sand. Squaring her shoulders, Jubilee walked straight ahead.  
  
"Hello Jubilee," greeted Mr. Summers, as the door unfolded. Jubilee murmured a hello and kept her eyes downcast lest he saw her red-rimmed eyes and asked questions. She climbed into the craft and sat down, wrapping her arms around herself, as she heard Mr. Summers greet Lance, Bobby, Rogue and the rest of the kids that hurried inside. How could they? Jubilee asked herself for the hundredth time.  
  
"Wait a second, where are Kitty and Pietro?" Mr. Summers demanded.  
  
"They haven't come yet," Todd said, smothering a laugh.  
  
"That's too bad I guess. We're going to have to leave them behind," Mr. Summers said, shaking his head regretfully. As the engine roared to life, Jubilee avoided Bobby's concerned stare. All she wanted to do now was get home. I wish I never came, Jubilee thought miserably, atleast then I wouldn't be so confused about who I like, and I'd still have two of my best friends. 


	12. stranded

NOTE: okay, I'm sorry it took so long to update but I've been really busy the last few days and my computer is getting really really slow….ahem, hope you guys like this chapter! PLEASE keep the reviews coming…..Thanx!  
  
  
  
"Okay, we took a left at the bend, and took two rights at the clearing," Kitty muttered to herself. Or was it a right at the bend? Grrr, Kitty thought in frustration. She'd been walking for nearly an hour with Pietro following close behind, and she was sure that they'd circled the forest atleast twice already!  
  
I'm….going….to…scream, Kitty thought, as she stomped angrily through the woods. She stamped her foot again for added measure.  
  
"What are you trying to do? Start an earthquake?" demanded Pietro. Kitty turned around to give him a withering glare.  
  
"I am TRYING to get us to the finish line, you dolt." Kitty gritted her teeth in frustration. How many more of his dumb questions did she have to endure? So far he hadn't lifted a finger to help her, aside from making his usual conceited comments about how, had HE been navigating, they would have been on the plane already. Which was another thing…..her watch had gone missing a while ago, so now she didn't even know how much time they had left. Let's see how many things I lost today thanks to this stupid trip, thought Kitty darkly, my clothes, my backpack,……my sanity.  
  
"Well, I wouldn't bother if I were you," Pietro remarked, peering off into the distance.  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Kitty asked annoyed. If this were another one of his jabs at her navigating skills, she'd…she'd….  
  
"I mean, it's pretty futile since the Blackbird has already left," Pietro said calmly, pointing at the sky.  
  
"WHAT?!" Kitty yelled incredulously. She spun around, and watched in horror, as the Blackbird shot off into the sky. Kitty turned toward Pietro frantically.  
  
"What are you waiting for? We have to go after them! Use your power, we can catch up to them!" Kitty said. Pietro merely surveyed her as if she was an interesting zoo exhibit and folded his arms across his chest calmly.  
  
"Come on!" Kitty repeated frantically.  
  
Pietro snorted in disbelief. "I'm fast but I'm not fast enough to catch up with a damn plane…..although I am flattered at your confidence in me," Pietro said, his blue eyes winking at her. Kitty rolled her eyes, but Pietro cut her off before she could reply. "And besides, if I remember correctly, using my powers is against the rules," Pietro added sweetly.  
  
"Of all the times to throw that in my face!" Kitty exploded. "Can't your see that this is an emergency! We could be stuck together for…for days!" Kitty said, throwing up her hands.  
  
"Well instead of wasting time, why don't we get some food before we die of starvation?" Pietro said impatiently.  
  
"Or of exposure," Kitty snapped, rubbing her arms for warmth.  
  
Pietro smothered a laugh. "Suck it up, it's not like it's raining or something."  
  
Suddenly, a large boom sounded. Kitty looked up at the grey sky to see a giant raindrop falling towards her, followed by several more. In minutes, the sky was flinging icy droplets at an alarming rate. "You had to say it," Kitty muttered.  
  
"Come on, we have to get cover!" yelled Pietro. Before Kitty knew what was happening, he grabbed her hand. The rest was a blur. In a matter of seconds, Kitty felt herself being placed gently on the floor. She looked up and to her utter surprise found herself in a sort of cave. Pietro was already busy making a fire, a roll of kindling bundled under one arm. Where did he get that? Kitty wondered. Then, she realized he must have picked it up when he'd sped her to the cave.  
  
"Can I help?" Kitty volunteered, combing her damp hair with her fingers.  
  
"Nope, I'm almost done," Pietro replied, producing a blazing fire in the middle of the cave in a matter of seconds. It was impressive, Kitty admitted to herself, how capable he was when he put his mind to it. She scooted closer to the flames, gratefully rubbing her hands and reveling in the glorious warmth.  
  
"Thanks," Kitty murmured, closing her eyes and leaning in towards the fire.  
  
"Sure," Pietro said quietly. Kitty opened her eyes in surprise. No snide remark? Kitty shook her head. It must have been a fluke, an effect of the rain….or something.  
  
Suddenly Pietro stood up and began walking out the cave. "Wait, where are you going?" Kitty asked in surprise.  
  
"To get us some food," Pietro said, with a brief look in her direction.  
  
"But it's raining!" Kitty protested. "Your in your swim suit too!"  
  
"I'll be fine…..why, are you concerned about me?" Pietro asked, with one eyebrow arched.  
  
Kitty blushed furiously. "No!" she said hotly. "I mean, it's just that you could get pneumonia or something," Kitty said, averting her eyes. She felt his gaze on her a long time.  
  
"It'll only take a second," Pietro said finally, breaking the silence and was gone. Kitty blinked and sighed. The way he'd looked at her…..Kitty blushed immediately at her thoughts. What the hell I am I thinking, Kitty thought in shock. "Your losing it Kitty," Kitty muttered to herself, looking down at her hands. "He does one nice thing and your already acting like a lovesick ---," Kitty broke off in shock as she saw Pietro leaning against the entrance to the cave, his blue eyes holding a strange unreadable look.  
  
Oh god, did he hear that? Kitty thought miserably. "Ahem," Kitty cleared her throat, looking up at him almost defiantly.  
  
"So," Pietro began slowly. Kitty began to panic. What would he say? Her mouth went dry.  
  
"Yeah?" she whispered.  
  
"Which do you want? Berries or fish?" Pietro finished. Kitty blinked. He was asking her about….food?! Okay so he wants to pretend he didn't hear me, Kitty thought fuming, that's good, that's great! We don't have to discuss us….wait a second, there is no US! What am I saying, Kitty thought, shaking her head, furious at herself.  
  
"Are you okay Pryde?" Pietro questioned, arching one eyebrow at her. Oh, so now it was back to "Pryde", Kitty thought, wondering why she was feeling hurt by that. Like I care what he calls me, Kitty scoffed.  
  
She turned to him, and replied firmly, "I'll have the berries." Pietro shrugged and tossed her a cluster of berries, which she caught deftly with one hand. Suddenly, Kitty noted that the fire was dying out slowly. She shivered; there was no WAY she was going to get to sleep without it. Kitty got up quickly, and began rummaging through Pietro's backpack.  
  
"What do you think your doing?" Pietro asked, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"Looking for a jacket," Kitty replied, without turning around. Finally, she found a navy blue jacket of his and slipped it on quickly.  
  
"Why?" Pietro asked, frowning.  
  
"I'm going out to get more wood," Kitty responded, shaking out her brown hair. Pietro stared at her for a second.  
  
Then, "Are you out of your mind?!" Pietro asked, throwing up his hands. "It's dark, and it's pouring out there! I'll go."  
  
Kitty bristled. "What? So you don't think I can handle a little rain and you can?" Kitty asked, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Yeah!" Pietro said. "Your not even dressed properly!"  
  
"Right, and you are?" Kitty asked in disbelief, gesturing to Pietro who was still clad only in swimming shorts. Pietro rolled his eyes.  
  
"It'll take me 3 seconds, it'll probably take YOU all night," Pietro said tersely.  
  
"That is so typical!" Kitty burst out. "Just like every good looking jerk to think women have to stay sheltered while they go out and "shield" us from the big bad elements!"  
  
Pietro looked up instantly and began smirking.  
  
Kitty paused in mid-rant. "What?" she asked annoyed  
  
"You said I'm good-looking," Pietro said, a smile tugging at the corners of  
  
his mouth.  
  
"No I said you were a jerk," Kitty denied, mentally kicking herself. As if he need anything else to boost his already enormous ego…..  
  
"But a good-looking jerk," Pietro amended, his eyes laughing at her. Kitty blushed. This conversation was going in a direction she didn't want.  
  
"Ahem, regardless, I'm going to get wood. You already got the food, it's only fair," Kitty said stubbornly.  
  
"Let me go with you atleast," Pietro said exasperated.  
  
"No way, I'm going alone. I can handle myself without your help, " Kitty said, glaring at him, and determinedly walked out of the cave before Pietro could voice any more protests. 


	13. into the rain

What the hell was I THINKING? Kitty thought to herself as she maneuvered around a large tree, the rain partially blinding her. The jacket was doing very little, she was soaked to the bone and now her shoes were filled with water. This was incredibly dumb, Kitty admitted to herself, even if I find wood it'll probably be so wet we can't even use it! But the thought of turning back and having to face Pietro's smug I-told-you-so's was even worse.  
  
Squaring her shoulders, Kitty trudged on, phasing through as many bushes and trees as she could. The night sky was dark and threatening, barely a star in sight. Kitty shivered, wishing more than anything that she could be back at the mansion curled up with a mug of hot chocolate.  
  
Suddenly her foot hit a slippery ground, and she began to fall. The ground was loose and Kitty found herself sliding downhill. Oh my god, Kitty thought panicking, where am I going? As she gained momentum, she began to slide faster and faster, the rain splashing her face as she phased to avoid hitting sharp branches. THUD! Kitty opened her eyes slowly and cautiously to find that she was sitting in a pile of mud at the bottom of a very large hill. Ugh, gross, Kitty thought disgustedly, wiping mud from her arms.  
  
"Get up, Kitty, and find your way," Kitty told herself sternly, shakily getting to her feet. The truth was, she didn't know where she was. It was so dark and she had no idea how to get back to the cave. Somewhere behind her she heard an owl hooting eerily. Tears of fright sprung to her eyes. This is stupid, Kitty tried to tell herself, there's nothing out there. The bushes rustled loudly and Kitty involuntarily took a step back, looking for a weapon.  
  
The bushes parted and Kitty could vaguely make out a figure. Grabbing a large broken off branch, she waved it in front of her. "Get back!" Kitty yelled, trying to make her voice intimidating, despite her fear.  
  
"Kitty?"  
  
"Pietro!" Kitty sputtered. She nearly fainted into arms from relief. "You scared me to death! I mean, I heard this noise so I thought there might be someone, except-," Kitty babbled on.  
  
"Hey, it's okay," Pietro said gently, hugging her. Kitty sighed in relief. They stood there for a few moments like that, the rain calming down into soft patters. Finally, they realized what they were doing and stood apart a little, awkwardly. Kitty swallowed and cleared her throat.  
  
"Ready to go?" Pietro asked her. Kitty nodded, and in a flash, Pietro took her hand and zipped her to the cave. To her shock, the fire was already blazing.  
  
"How did you-," Kitty began. Pietro smiled wryly at her.  
  
"The fire didn't actually go out, all I had to do was poke the embers a little and add some dry paper and it started up again."  
  
Kitty groaned. "You mean I went out there for no reason at all?"  
  
"Yeah, I guess so," Pietro said, smiling. Kitty's heart fluttered suddenly and her face started to burn up. Kitty had a feeling that it had little to do with the fire. This was becoming weirder and weirder. The more time she spent with Pietro, the nicer he seemed. In fact, Kitty found herself almost enjoying his company. Kitty shook her head sternly. Are you forgetting how he acted in the mansion, he's pompous, he's---, Kitty stopped. Her usual mental rant of Pietro's list of negative attributes was becoming shorter and shorter. Looking over at him, Kitty guiltily shook her head. It would never work.  
  
"Good night," Pietro called from the other side of the tent, yawning loudly.  
  
Kitty giggled. "Night'," she called back, and curled up closer to the fire. I wonder if he likes anyone, Kitty wondered. Then she thought back to their fight in the kitchen….of course, Pietro liked more girls than there were in the mansion. Kitty scowled to herself, and fell asleep thinking just why that thought bothered her so much. 


	14. coping

NOTE: Sorry it took so long guys, but hehe, I DID write three chapters to make up hehe…..first off, thanks SO MUCH for the reviews! You guys are so nice, I really really appreciate all the advice and compliments (esp. the compliments hehe…..ahem ( ) so hope u enjoy, and please keep the reviews coming!  
  
Rogue sat on her bed, her knees drawn up to her face, contemplating just how to approach her best friend. Make that ex- best friend, Rogue thought sadly, as she stared at the empty bed across from her. Ever since they'd gotten back from the hunt, Jubilee had refused to speak to her or anyone else, and avoided any and all attempts at reconciliation.  
  
Suddenly, Rogue's eyes flew open at the sound the doorknob turning. She got up from her bed eagerly. Maybe it was Jubilee……..  
  
"There you are," Lance said, coming closer.  
  
"Oh hey," Rogue said,.disappointed.  
  
"Thanks for the great reception," Lance said wryly. Rogue smiled a little.  
  
"No offense…..it's just….I was hoping it might be Jubilee," Rogue explained, sitting back down on her bed. Lance's face turned serious.  
  
"Rogue, she'll come around, I promise. You two are good friends, I'm sure she'll make up with you, once she gets used to the idea of us," Lance said assuredly.  
  
"She won't even talk to me," Rogue said despondently. Then, turning slowly to Lance, "Maybe we should, I don't know, -,"  
  
"Uh uh, we're not going back to that again," Lance said cutting her off, taking her hand in his. "Look, what happened is not your fault. It's tough, but if Jubilee can't accept us than maybe she isn't the friend you thought she was."  
  
Rogue straightened. What Lance said make sense. "You know what, that's true. I mean, I've tried everything to apologize to her, and she won't even give me the time of day, except to give me these You've-stabbed-me-in-the- back looks," Rogue said, standing up and crossing her arms angrily. "And she won't even give Bobby, a guy who's totally nuts about her, a chance!"  
  
Lance raised an eyebrow. "Bobby likes Jubilee?"  
  
Rogue nodded. "Yeah, I know. This whole thing is like a soap opera," Rogue said, pressing her fingers to her temples.  
  
Lance hugged her. "It's okay, Rogue. I just hope, for everyone's sake, that this is settled soon."  
  
Rogue sighed. "See that's the thing. I don't want to drag in any adults, and the only two people that are neutral are marooned on an island."  
  
"I think Kitty and Pietro have issues of their own to work out without worrying about ours," Lance said, exhaling. Rogue laughed.  
  
"Yeah, I heard the Professor saying that there was a huge storm over at the island, so they're going to go pick up Kitty and Pietro sometime tomorrow," Rogue explained.  
  
"Great, we'll just have to hang in till then. Come on, I think I hear Miss Munroe calling for dinner," Lance said gently, reaching out a hand for Rogue. Rogue flashed him a grateful look.  
  
"Thanks…..for everything," Rogue said, her green eyes sparkling.  
  
"Anytime," Lance said tenderly. 


	15. hidden message

Jubilee paused in front of her room, debating on whether or not to go in. Suddenly the sound of laughter wafted out to her ears. Jubilee swallowed hard. Rogue and Lance. I'm glad they're having such a great time together, Jubilee thought bitterly, feeling the familiar tears prick her eyes. It was killing her not to reconcile with Rogue, one of her closest friends. But how could she after what had happened? They should have told me, Jubilee thought stubbornly, wiping the tears from her face.  
  
She jumped suddenly at a noise behind her. Out of the corner of eye, she saw Bobby walking towards her. Squaring her shoulders, Jubilee ignored him and continued walking down the hallway. Bobby followed, almost desperately matching step for step. Finally, exasperated, Jubilee rolled her eyes and spun around to face him.  
  
"You do realize that stalking is illegal in all 50 states, right?" Jubilee asked, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Ha ha," Bobby said dryly. "Jubilee, I need to talk to you. You can't avoid me forever," he said, his voice becoming softer as he came closer. Jubilee stared up at him and turned away, her heart fluttering strangely.  
  
"Who says I'm avoiding you?" Jubilee responded cooly, averting her eyes. Bobby folded his arms across his chest.  
  
"I do. Every time I try to talk, you run the other way. Now, we're going to have this conversation sooner or later," Bobby said firmly.  
  
"I have nothing to say to you," Jubilee said stubbornly.  
  
"Fine. I'll do all the talking," Bobby said smoothly, taking her elbow and pulling her into a nearby room despite her protests. Once they were inside, he turned to her. "Look Jubes, I never meant for you to get hurt. You have to realize, I didn't tell you because Rogue's my friend also. What kind of friend would I be if I blabbed her secret to everyone?" Bobby reasoned, his blue eyes penitent.  
  
"What kind of friend were you to me?" Jubilee said, her voice teary. "I thought for weeks that Lance really liked me, that maybe I'd finally have my first boyfriend. Then, as usual, they like someone else, and I end up alone," Jubilee said bitterly, rubbing her arms.  
  
"Lance is not the only guy in the world, Jubes. There are tons of other guys out there who would love to go out with you," Bobby said. Jubilee sniffed.  
  
"You're just saying that to make me feel better. I'm a tomboy, not exactly girlfriend material." Jubilee turned away.  
  
"Jubilee, you're funny, sweet, and incredibly beautiful," Bobby said gently.  
  
Jubilee looked up and saw in his eyes that he was earnest. "You know, Drake, I'd be lucky if I could get a guy like you," Jubilee said, giving him a watery smile.  
  
Bobby flashed her a smile, his eyes unreadable. "I'd say it's the other way around."  
  
Jubilee swallowed. Why was it, that during times like these, that she felt like running into his arms? You're nuts, Jubilee told herself. He said that because it's just a best-friend-type thing to say. He didn't really MEAN anything…..did he? Jubilee squelched the feeling quickly. Looking up she let out a soft laugh. "You know, I thought for sure that you and Rogue had a thing for each other."  
  
Bobby looked up and shook his head. "Rogue and me? No, we're just friends. My heart's already taken," he said quietly.  
  
"Oh, really?" Jubilee asked casually, telling herself sternly that she had no right to feel jealous.  
  
"Yeah, only thing is….she likes someone else," Bobby said quietly. Jubilee looked up, and covered her hand with his comfortingly.  
  
"Then she's an idiot," Jubilee pronounced. "Don't worry, I'm sure she'll wake up soon enough and realize what a great guy you are," Jubilee said, trying to sound encouraging.  
  
"I hope so," Bobby said, with a sad little smile playing on his lips. "Ahem, anyways," Bobby said, clearing his throat, "are you going to make up with Rogue?"  
  
Jubilee sighed. "I don't know……I mean, I still feel so angry. It'll take some time. " 


	16. the kiss

NOTE: I had a lot of fun writing this chapter hehe……the plot thickens…..i would really appreciate if you guys would tell me what you'd like to happen, diff. Scenarios, etc……anything at all. Thanx for reading!  
  
Kitty opened her eyes to feel the searing sun bathe her body in light. How could it be so damn cold yesterday, and today, it's like, 120 degrees, Kitty thought shading her eyes. Glancing over, she noticed with surprise that Pietro was missing. Geez, and I thought ~I~ was an early riser, Kitty thought, debating on whether she should just go back to sleep.  
  
"Forget it, it's too hot," Kitty muttered, standing up and stretching languidly. The only thing she wanted now was a nice cool shower. She felt disgusting after last night's fun little experience with mud puddles. Kitty stepped out of the cave and kicked off her shoes. The question was WHERE she would take a shower; the ocean was too far away, and the lake (aka the swamp), was out of the question. Kitty shuddered at the memory of the swarming mosquitoes. No way, Kitty thought determinedly, there HAS to be another water source. Briefly, she wondered if she should stay in the cave as Pietro would probably want her to. She could just picture him saying, "Don't wander off Pryde, I don't want to have to save your butt like I did last night."  
  
Kitty scowled. If Pietro Maximoff thought she would stay in the cave just waiting for him to come back and escort her than he could go jump off the nearest cliff. Admittedly, he HAD been a gentleman last night, but Kitty had a feeling she would be hearing about his "rescue" long afterwards. Kitty straightened her shoulders and headed into the clearing, mentally noting which turns she took.  
  
She wandered for about 15 minutes when suddenly she heard the burbling of water. Kitty walked a little further and the sounds became louder and louder. Yes, Kitty thought excitedly as she continued down the path and gently brushed some branches aside. Her eyes met a small lagoon filled with clear blue water, and above it a tiny waterfall splurging cool, spurts of water. Kitty was momentarily breathless at the beauty of it all.  
  
She cautiously stepped into the pool, and relaxed into the cool water. Mmm, Kitty thought closing her eyes. She opened her eyes again to take in the beautiful scene. The luscious green trees, the sparkling water, ……..and PIETRO?! Kitty nearly choked on the water as her eyes collided with those of Pietro, who was calmly standing under the waterfall, running his hands through his silvery hair.  
  
"What are you doing here?!" Kitty spluttered, her brown eyes sparkling with indignation. Pietro gave her a lazy look and turned around.  
  
"I'm taking a bath as you can clearly see," Pietro replied, letting the water ripple over his abs. Kitty gulped. It had to be illegal to look that good. Kitty immediately blushed at her thoughts, and glared up at him, brushing a wet strand off her face.  
  
"Well, so am I! Figures that you'd have to wreck the most perfect setting," Kitty muttered, pulling up on the strap of her bathing suit. "Can you get out?" Kitty asked impatiently. "Unless you WANT to watch while I take a shower," Kitty finished, mimicking the exact words Pietro had used the first day they'd met.  
  
Annoyingly enough, instead of being irritated, Pietro threw his head back and laughed. "That's okay, Kitty…..I'm sure it makes you uncomfortable to have a boy's attention on you."  
  
Thoroughly enraged now, Kitty stood in the middle of the lagoon, hands on her hips, presenting a very pretty picture with her brown eyes snapping with irritation. "What, exactly, is THAT supposed to mean?"  
  
"Oh, nothing…..," Pietro trailed off in a singsongy voice. "It's just that with you're limited dating experience, you might not appreciate-."  
  
"Oh really?!" Kitty snapped, cutting him off. "For your kind information, I do have a boyfriend!"  
  
Pietro's head snapped up and he gave her a long measuring look. "And who would that be?" he asked, his eyes unreadable.  
  
Kitty bit her lip. "His name is Kurt Wagner, and he's coming back tomorrow morning from visiting his relatives in Michigan." Okay, it was partly true, Kitty thought guiltily. Kurt had expressed an interest in her as more than a friend. But he wasn't exactly her boyfriend either. Kitty shrugged off her guilt. If telling a little white lie would shut Pietro up about her lack of dating experience than it was well worth it.  
  
"Hmmm," Pietro said, looking thoughtful. "Really?"  
  
" Yeah, really. You don't have to sound so amazed. Just because I don't go around flaunting my own personal harem doesn't mean I don't have people interested in me," Kitty said heatedly. Pietro rolled his blue eyes at her and smiled.  
  
"Can I help it if I attract a lot of girls?" Pietro asked smirking. Kitty let out a disgusted groan.  
  
"You're hopeless, I can just picture you in ten years, replacing Hugh Hefner in the playboy mansion or dying of AIDS in some lonely street corner," Kitty said, crossing her arms. She noted with satisfaction, that the comment had finally gotten under Pietro's skin, judging from the way his eyes narrowed in anger.  
  
"Nice Kitty, judge a person by their appearance, is that it?" Pietro said heatedly, stepping into the pool with her. Kitty, not one to back down, stepped forward until they were face to face.  
  
"You haven't exactly done your best to make a great first impression," Kitty shot back. "You started throwing yourself at girls practically your first day at the Institute! Tell me, Pietro, were you so popular at Mystique's place?"  
  
Kitty regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth, as she watched Pietro flush red with anger. "Actually," Pietro bit out through clenched teeth, "contrary to your wild notions of my playboy status, Lance and I hardly had enough to eat! We had to steal to survive, I guess you didn't expect that, did you?" Kitty opened her mouth to apologize, but Pietro continued furiously. "I guess I can't be surprised, coming from a Valley Girl moron who'd rather make blanket statements than getting to know the person!" Pietro shouted.  
  
Kitty felt hot, anger flaming through her as the apology died on her lips. "How DARE you!" Kitty spat out. "I'M making blanket statements about YOU?! Ha!" she bit out. "That's a joke! From the second I met you you've been calling me an airhead, when you don't know a single thing about me!" Kitty yelled, surprised to feel tears prick her eyes. "And the only reason you're so mad is because I'm not nipping at your heels like an idiot, the way all the other girls are!" Kitty finished, an angry flush in her cheeks.  
  
"You've got me all figured out don't you?" Pietro said harshly, his blue eyes flashing as they stood inches away from each other.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't think I want to get to know you any more of you! Face it, we will never EVER get along, and the more time I spend with you, it's becoming pretty obvious that you and Bianca are made for each other!" Kitty retorted, her voice shaking. "God forbid you ever get interested in a girl with a brain!"  
  
"Oh yeah?" Pietro spat.  
  
"Yeah!" Kitty said, her fists clenched to her sides.  
  
And suddenly, she wasn't quite sure how it happened, she felt her body being crushed against Pietro's chest, and he was kissing her passionately. Without a moment's hesitation, Kitty kissed him back almost desperately, her thoughts and emotions a jumble, her arms entangled about his neck. After what seemed an eternity, Kitty stepped back, dazed and breathless. Oh my god, what just happened?, Kitty thought, touching her burning lips with her fingers.  
  
She didn't have time to contemplate, because suddenly she saw Mr. Summers appear in the clearing.  
  
"You didn't think we'd leave you here forever, did you?" Mr. Summers teased lightly. Then he frowned as he took in their flushed faces and the way the two were avoiding eye contact. "Is there something wrong?" he inquired.  
  
"No!" they both practically shouted simultaneously. Mr. Summers looked at them a long time and then gave a slight nod. As Kitty followed him to the Blackbird, she forced herself not to look in Pietro's direction. Oh yes, Mr. Summers, there is definitely something wrong…….Kitty thought, I think I'm falling in love with a guy I thought I hated. 


	17. playing interference

NOTE: Jeez, I'm SO sorry It took me nearly a week to update, it's just cuz I've been caught up w/ graduation and my first job (AAAAAH!) ahem, I'm fine really. Okay, guys, remember I'm STARVING for reviews, hehe, so please indulge me. Thanx for all the people who did review, you guys are so nice, I'm glad u like the story so far!  
  
Bobby jumped in surprise as he saw Kitty and Pietro enter from the hangar garage. And they're both in one piece, Bobby marveled. He'd never figured Kitty for an outdoorsy type. "So, guys, how does it feel to be the grand Looosers of the treasure hunt?" Bobby asked in an announcer type voice. He smirked, after all, what good was it if they lost if he couldn't tease them about it? However, instead of rising to the bait, Kitty looked nervous and a tad flushed, and Pietro ran his hand through his hair and began looking at the floor intently. Bobby frowned. This was weird. Usually a comment like that would warrant a snappy remark from Kitty and a shove from Pietro, but both were strangely silent. "What's wrong with you two? Didn't you have fun hanging out with each other?" Bobby asked innocently. He waited with anticipation, sure that this would prompt a furious retaliation from them both.  
  
To his shock, Kitty turned a bright shade of pink and began picking at an imaginary piece of lint on her arm. "Shut up, Drake," Pietro growled, and took off down the hall.  
  
Bobby stared after him and then turned to Kitty. "Whoah, what happened?"  
  
"I don't want to talk about it," Kitty said tersely, and went down the hall to her room and shut the door.  
  
Bobby whistled and shrugged. He'd find out soon enough what was eating her. Now, first order of business; get Rogue and Jubilee to make up. He saw Rogue make her way down the hallway with Lance, both of them speaking in soft tones. "Ahem," Bobby cleared his throat. Rogue looked up, and smiled a little nervously at him.  
  
"Hey," she greeted.  
  
"Hey Rogue," Bobby replied back. "Can I talk to you for a second in private?"  
  
Lance frowned and shrugged. "I'll seeya at dinner, Rogue." Bobby rolled his eyes in impatience as Lance hugged Rogue and left. Rogue turned to him with a stern look, her arms folded across her chest.  
  
"Okay, what's up?"  
  
"Well, I have good news," Bobby announced brightly. "I talked to Jubilee and I managed to convince her to forgive you, if you apologize." He waited for Rogue to thank him. He wasn't prepared, however, for the look of shock and anger that crossed her face.  
  
"You did what?!" Rogue spat out. Bobby gulped. She did NOT look happy. "First of all, who asked you to go beg for her forgiveness on my behalf?" Rogue demanded, her eyes flashing. "She needs to grow up. I mean, I've apologized atleast a 100 times and she hasn't done anything but ignore me! Frankly, I'm tired of it. If she wants to be friends again, she has to take the first step," Rogue said, her jaw set.  
  
Bobby groaned inwardly as Rogue stalked down the hall. This was an even bigger mess than he'd thought. Rogue and Jubilee were two of the most stubborn people he'd ever known. At this rate, they'd NEVER speak to each other. He sighed and wandered down the hall, when he suddenly crashed into someone. Bobby looked up startled to see Bianca.  
  
Bobby waited for the usual barrage of flirtatious comments from the popular cheerleader. But this time, he noted that Bianca wasn't engaging in mindless chatter. From the looks of it, she was on a mission.  
  
"Have you seen Pietro?" Bianca asked impatiently. Bobby blinked.  
  
"Uh, yeah. Kitty and him just got back from-," Bobby went silent. He couldn't tell her they'd been on a training hunt under orders from the Professor. Then she'd ask all sorts of questions like why she wasn't invited…..then he'd have to tell her it was because she wasn't a mutant….Bobby shuddered. He didn't even want to get into that with her. Bianca didn't seem like the tolerant type.  
  
"From?" Bianca practically snapped.  
  
"From….um, a movie," Bobby lied, finally. Bianca stopped, gaping.  
  
"You mean, they went on, like, a ….date?"  
  
Bobby smiled a little. Why shouldn't he have a little fun now and then? "Yeah, like a date," Bobby said cheerfully, taking in the stormy look on Bianca's face with glee.  
  
"Hmph," Bianca sniffed, and spun on her heel like a cat. Bobby watched her leave and muffled his laughter. Poor Pietro. Bobby almost felt sorry for him.  
  
"Bobby, it's time for dinner," Miss Munroe called from the large kitchen. Bobby nodded and ran down, suddenly ravenous. Talking about drowning my sorrows in food, Bobby thought wryly as helped set the table. He had a feeling it was going to be a long, long day. 


	18. what kitty saw....

Kitty stood, pacing in her room like a madwoman. A week ago, everything was so simple, Kitty thought angrily throwing a pillow across the room. She had hated him, he had hated her…now she couldn't even LOOK at Pietro without blushing so badly it looked like she had some kind of rare skin disorder! Jubilee suddenly poked her head in, then quickly scanning it, came in and shut the door.  
  
"When did you get back?" Jubilee asked sitting down on her bed.  
  
"This morning," Kitty answered shortly, pacing again. After a minute, Jubilee let out an exasperated sigh.  
  
"Would you stop that and just tell me what's wrong? I'm getting dizzy here," Jubilee said, rubbing her head.  
  
"Are you sure you want to know?"  
  
"Yeah sure, I need a break from my problems," Jubilee answered, hoping that Kitty wouldn't ask her just what "problems" those were. She didn't really feel like talking about the love triangle just then.  
  
"Um, it's about Pietro."  
  
Jubilee laughed. "Well, that's a real surprise! Anyone having to be stuck with that boy on a deserted island has got to be traumatized!"  
  
Kitty felt the ridiculous urge to defend him, but caught herself just in time. "Actually, it's not that. You see, we were arguing a lot, right….?" Kitty began slowly, looking away.  
  
"Uh huh," Jubilee said, her brows furrowed in confusion.  
  
"But then we got along a little bit, sort of," Kitty continued nervously, rapping her fingers along the table.  
  
"That's the problem? You two getting along?" Jubilee asked, incredulously.  
  
"No, well, yeah. You see, we started getting along really…..well, too well," Kitty trailed off uncertainly.  
  
"Would you just spit it out?!" Jubilee finally exploded.  
  
"We kissed okay, we kissed!" Kitty burst out in a rush. Jubilee's jaw dropped open.  
  
"You WHAT?! Are we talking about the same Pietro here? The boy that you swore you hated more than anyone?" Jubilee asked disbelievingly. Kitty crossed her arms.  
  
"Hey, it wasn't like I planned it or anything. It just…happened. I don't even know how. The sad thing is, no matter how much I try, I can't get it out of my head," Kitty said disgustedly. "I mean, he's such an arrogant, self-centered, motor-mouth jerk."  
  
"You liked the kiss a lot didn't you?" Jubilee asked, a knowing look in her eyes.  
  
"Oh yeah," Kitty responded automatically, then blushed furiously. This is PATHETIC, Kitty thought to herself irritated. Who would have thought-? "What am I supposed to do?"  
  
"Well," Jubilee began, settling more comfortably on the bed, "go tell him how you feel. There's nothing worse than letting things like this go unsaid. Be silent too long, and he might go for someone else," Jubilee finished quietly, looking down.  
  
Kitty raised an eyebrow. "Jubes, are you alright? You're pretty quiet today," Kitty remarked. "Want me to get Rogue, so we can all go out for ice- cream?"  
  
Jubilee held up a hand quickly. "Uh, no!" she said automatically. "I mean," Jubilee began in a more normal voice, "Rogue's probably busy right now."  
  
Kitty frowned. Something was definitely amiss, she'd just seen Rogue a few minutes ago heading towards the kitchen. In fact, Lance had been with her. Kitty kept up her inquiring look but it seemed Jubilee wasn't in the mood for spilling her guts. As soon as I get this whole Pietro mess figured out, I'm gonna do some investigating, Kitty resolved.  
  
"So, anyways, I think you should tell him," Jubilee repeated.  
  
"Now?" Kitty said, looking a little ill. Jubilee nodded firmly.  
  
"No time like the present," Jubilee said cheerfully, ushering Kitty out the door.  
  
Kitty swallowed hard. What exactly was she supposed to say to him? "What's up, Maximoff?" Kitty practiced in low tones. She shook her had. Too casual.  
  
"Hello there, Pietro," Kitty tried again. Ugh. Way too stiff- sounding. Letting out an exasperated groan, she shrugged her shoulders. This was too hard.  
  
Maybe I'll just casually bump into him, Kitty thought hopefully. Squaring her shoulders, she strode towards the end of the hall, taking a few turns. If her memory served her correctly, the extra rooms were in the 2nd corridor….right? Kitty shrugged and took another left turn. Suddenly she heard voices. Kitty frowned.  
  
Hey, that's Pietro's voice, Kitty realized, her heart beat quickening with anticipation. Okay, don't wimp out now, Kitty told herself and rounded the corner.  
  
Kitty gasped at the sight that met her eyes. At the end of the corridor, stood Pietro and Bianca, there arms wound around each other. Hot tears stung Kitty's eyes as she stared unbelievingly at them. WHAT THE HELL?! Kitty thought, as anger quickly replaced her hurt. She quickly phased through the floor before they could see her, the tears sliding freely.  
  
"I hate him," Kitty said, gnashing her teeth, wiping at the tears. Had the kiss mean that little to him, that he could forget about her and go running to that-that bimbo! Kitty clenched her teeth. She must have been crazy to think Pietro aka Mr. Big-jerk-on-campus could ever fall for a girl like her! Kitty ran back up to her room, thankfully noting that Jubilee had left a long time ago. She flopped down on the bed, giving into the sobs. I can't BELIEVE I'm crying over him, Kitty thought furiously. It's just when he'd kissed her, the look in his eyes had held something so tender……Kitty shook her head fiercely. Obviously Pietro was a skilled actor. Kitty lay her head down on her pillow, and closed her eyes, exhausted by the cry. Stupid island, Kitty thought sleepily, as she snuggled deeper into the covers. I won't think about him, Kitty thought determinedly. As far as she was concerned, Pietro was history. 


	19. Poooor pietro...

NOTE: I hope you all like how the story is turning out….whew, here is the follow up to "What Kitty Saw." I took the advice of one of the reviewers and decided to do a Pietro's POV, hehe, please tell me if you like it so I can write more chapters from his perspective. Again, keep the reviews coming! Thanx!  
  
Pietro sat in his room, crumpling yet another sheet of paper into a ball, and aiming for the mini basketball hoop. And like the other 50 times, the ball bounced harmlessly off the rim and fell to the floor. Pietro scowled. Usually he was a great shot, what could be throwing off his aim? It could be hunger….or it could be a certain brunette with big brown eyes and a killer smile…..  
  
Pietro tried to will himself not to think of Kitty, but the image of her face had already wafted into his mind. It was just a kiss, Maximoff, Pietro told himself sternly. He had kissed tons of girls before……so why was this one driving him crazy? Pietro let out an irritated groan. This was completely not cool.  
  
Should he talk to her? Would she laugh in his face? Pietro could just picture Kitty's face as he told her how he felt. In all his mental scenarios, she had run screaming in the other direction. A wry smile swept across his face. She was certainly a challenge, she wasn't like all the other girls who just agreed with everything he said. She was…..amazing.  
  
Pietro coughed. What was happening to him? He must be losing it if he was going to be thinking about Kitty like that. He sighed. It was obvious that he wasn't going to get any piece of mind until he talked to her. It wouldn't be pretty but maybe, there was a little chance that she liked him back. A smile crept up unwillingly to Pietro's face as he stood up.  
  
Pietro opened the door and stepped into the hall, taking a deep breath. He didn't know which was scarier: confronting Kitty about the kiss or keeping it to himself and slowly going nuts. Suddenly, seemingly out of nowhere, he heard the determined clacking of high heels coming towards him. Bianca.  
  
"Speaking of scary," Pietro muttered under his breath, as he wondered if it was bad taste to jump back in his room, slam the door in her face, and hide under the bed until she was gone. But it was too late for that. In a matter of seconds, Bianca was standing in front of him, blocking any escape he had planned.  
  
"Where were you today?" Bianca demanded, her hands on her hips.  
  
"Hello to you too," Pietro replied dryly.  
  
"I mean it Pietro! Bobby said that you and Kitty were on a date," Bianca spat accusingly, her perfectly tweezed eyebrows elevated.  
  
Pietro clenched his teeth. A date? Not unless you counted being stranded on an island living off fruits in bad weather, a date. He was going to kill Bobby! Pietro quickly realized that he would have to lie to get out of this. If Bianca started asking questions about their training mission, then it would get into mutants…..Pietro shuddered. He didn't even want to IMAGINE Bianca's reaction to that. Not that he really cared what she thought.  
  
Schooling his emotions, Pietro managed an easy smile and replied, "Uh yeah, we went," Pietro paused, scanning his mind rapidly, "uh, ice skating. Yeah, ice skating," he said finally, mentally patting himself on the back.  
  
"Bobby said you went to a movie," Bianca replied angrily, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Pietro made a mental note to hunt down Bobby after this.  
  
"What I meant was," Pietro said quickly, "we went a movie, and ~then~ we went ice skating." Pietro stopped and scanned her face to see if she was buying the story.  
  
But at the point, Bianca had ceased to listen. "How could you possibly go on a date with HER?!" she spat out. Pietro took a step back involuntarily. Bianca was furious. "I mean, I thought WE had something," Bianca said, her voice turning whiny.  
  
Pietro gulped .This was turning ugly. "Uh well, you see-," Pietro tried to say. Bianca cut him off and pouted.  
  
"It's okay, I forgive you your bad taste. I know she must have probably guilted you into it or something," Bianca said soothingly, stepping forward.  
  
"No, you've-." Pietro began to protest, when suddenly, Bianca threw her arms around him. Pietro struggled to get out of her vise-like grip, but to no avail. The girl was hanging on to him as if were a drowning woman in need of a life raft. Ugh, Pietro thought, as he caught a whiff of her cheap perfume. Suddenly his eyes caught a flash of brown hair down the hall.  
  
Pietro blinked, but the vision was gone. He shook his head. The perfume must be having a negative effect on him. Finally, Pietro had had enough. He shoved her away and stepped back. "Bianca, stop it! Get away from me!"  
  
Bianca blinked in shock at the disgusted look on Pietro's face. "Don't tell me you actually like HER over me," Bianca said disbelievingly.  
  
"I would pick her any ~day~ over you," Pietro said, in quiet anger. "Now, get away from me."  
  
Bianca's mouth contorted into a sneer. "Fine! You two losers deserve each other anyway! You'll pay for this, Maximoff, " Bianca threatened, and stalked down the hall away from him.  
  
"Go soak your head in battery acid!" Pietro called after her cheerfully. After she left, Pietro leaned against the wall, letting out a sigh of relief. He glanced at his watch. It was getting pretty late. I'll tell Kitty tomorrow, Pietro decided finally, retreating back into his room. The encounter with Bianca had exhausted him. Tomorrow, Pietro thought sleepily, and promptly fell asleep. 


	20. playing interference....again

NOTE: hey everyone! PLEASEPLEASEPLEASE write more reviews. I'd like at least 8 or so before I write more chapters. Advice is great too! Thanx to all those who have reviewed already, you have no idea what a motivator it is for me to write! Thanx!  
  
Jubilee yawned loudly, as she stumbled sleepily into the Danger Room at 5:15 a.m., fifteen minutes late for Logan's workout. This was truly inhuman, Jubilee decided as she got in line next to Bobby, gulping at the stern look Logan threw her. Who could even THINK at 5:00 let alone fight?  
  
"Alright, we're going to pair people off for sparring," Logan announced. "Rogue, Jubilee, you're up first."  
  
Jubilee eyes snapped open. Her body flooded with sudden energy and anger as she sprung to attention. Jubilee watched Rogue's face tighten as they stepped into the ring. Out of the corner of her eye, she watched as Bobby buried his head in his hands with a loud groan.  
  
Logan raised an eyebrow. "Is something the matter, Popsicle?"  
  
Bobby lifted his head briefly, and looked so mournfully at them that had Jubilee been in a better mood, she would have laughed. "Uh, well, I don't think that Jubes and Rogue should spar," Bobby asserted nervously, avoiding the glare Jubilee and Rogue shot him. What was he DOING?, Jubilee thought furiously.  
  
"Stay out of this Bobby!" Rogue yelled angrily, her hands on her hips. Jubilee did likewise, shooting a warning glance in his direction.  
  
"Quiet!" Logan bellowed, and growled. "Alright, now Bobby, why do you object?"  
  
Bobby was quiet a second, and then shrugged apologetically at them. "Uh, well, because Kurt's going to be here at 8:00, and uh, maybe we should stop practice early to, you know, get ready to welcome him," Bobby said lamely.  
  
"You need 3 hours to get ready?" Logan asked skeptically. Bobby felt his spirits rising. Maybe Logan would cancel practice and avoid the fight of the century from happening!  
  
"Well, uh yeah," Bobby said weakly, sending a sideways glare at Todd and Lance who were laughing hysterically.  
  
Rogue stepped forward. "Well, ah for one don't need 3 hours to get ready! Now let's just fight!"  
  
"Yeah, let's stop wasting time!" Jubilee asserted, her eyes snapping. Her eyes flinched when she saw the kiss Lance blew Rogue. Swallowing hard, she straightened her shoulders and stepped forward. Logan shrugged and made a move to blow the start whistle. Jubilee saw Bobby throw a desperate look at Lance, who nodded quickly.  
  
Jubilee watched incredulously as Lance stood up. "Hey, why aren't Kitty and Pietro here? It isn't fair that we all have to practice while they don't," Lance argued. He quickly jabbed Todd with his elbow, prompting him to stand up as well.  
  
" Uh, yeah," Todd asserted quickly, "we demand to know why they are exempt!"  
  
Jubilee and Rogue rolled their eyes simultaneously. This was unbelievable. Jubilee narrowed her eyes at Bobby who smiled sheepishly at her. It was obvious enough what he was doing, Jubilee thought. Lance and him had teamed up to stall practice so that she and Rogue wouldn't have time to fight!  
  
Logan let out an exasperated sigh. "The Professor said they're both exhausted from the trip so I'm letting them skip today's practice."  
  
"But that was yesterday! They had plenty of time to recover!" Lance argued back.  
  
"Oh really, you've spent 2 days on a deserted island?" Logan asked, his eyes narrowed. "Now this topic is closed," Logan growled, losing his patience quickly.  
  
"Wait a second, so those two get to stay curled up in their beds while we're standing here freezing and sore?" Bobby asked stubbornly, stepping up to Logan. Then at Logan's fierce look, he added hastily, "Which is fine."  
  
"Okay, the next person who speaks has to drop and give me 200 pushups," Logan warned. "Now, Rogue, Jubilee, take your positions."  
  
Jubilee nodded and ignored Bobby's pleadingly look. This was something she had to do. Looking into Rogue's determined hazel eyes, Jubilee felt a pang of sadness. Would things ever go back to normal between them? Then, remembering the day on the island, Jubilee shook her head stubbornly. Rogue had lied to her. Straightening her outfit, Jubilee took her position. They said all was fair in love and war. And this was war. 


	21. the accident

NOTE: I'm so sorry it took so long to update, but I've been totally swamped. Whew, okay, just want to say I'd really appreciate if you guys give me advice, ANY advice; for example, what you'd like to happen between Kitty and Pietro, Bobby and Jubilee, etc. I have kind of a rough sketch of what's going to happen to the characters but I'd love some help! Also, as always, REVIEWS ARE REALLY REALLY appreciated! Thanks so much to those who have already reviewed! Also, to answer someone's question about Bianca: She does take classes at the mansion, however she does not live there because she's not a mutant. She just drops in periodically to harass people (hehe.)! Anyways enjoy!  
  
Rogue stepped up determinedly, pushing back her brown hair quickly with one hand as she faced Jubilee. "What are you doing?" Lance whispered fiercely behind her, his eyes angry and concerned at the same time.  
  
"Not now Lance!" Rogue said, as Logan got ready to blow the whistle.  
  
"Why are you doing this? She's your friend!" Lance said stubbornly. Rogue turned around to face him, motioning for Logan to wait a second.  
  
"Look, there's no good reason for me to back down. And just in case you've forgotten, I apologized, remember?" Rogue said, crossing her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Well, did it ever occur to you that maybe Jubilee is ready to make up now but she has too much pride? Maybe you should try again?" Lance suggested desperately.  
  
Rogue shook her head. "No way. This is what happens all the time! Jubilee doesn't get what she wants so she waits around for everyone to beg for forgiveness. Well, I'm not going to do it," Rogue said firmly. Lance threw his hands up with frustration.  
  
"Rogue, why do you have to be so-,so- hard headed?!"  
  
Rogue's jaw dropped open. "I am not hard-headed! I'm just tired of being a pushover!"  
  
"I don't think you've EVER been a push over," Lance said, running one hand through his hair and turning away. Rogue's eyes narrowed. What was THAT supposed to mean?  
  
"What do you mean by that?" Rogue demanded, her eyes flashing. Lance turned around to face her again.  
  
"I mean that you NEVER back down, even when its in your best interests! We're talking about one of your closest friends here! And you're willing to throw away your chances of making up by fighting with her!" Lance said, his mouth set in a hard line.  
  
Rogue felt anger surge up in her. "No one told her she shouldn't try to make up with me!" Rogue felt as if she were a child arguing with an annoyingly rational adult.  
  
"She's kind of the victim here. I mean, she just caught the two of us together! She's been through enough, without having to fight you. Poor Jubilee," Lance said, shaking his head. Rogue could hardly believe what she was hearing.  
  
"Poor JUBILEE?!" Rogue gasped out. Lance raised his head to look at her, opening his mouth to explain. But Rogue cut him off, tears pricking her eyes. It was all clear to her now. "No, don't bother. You really like her don't you?" Rogue asked, tears blinding her now. Lance's jaw dropped open.  
  
"What?! That's crazy!" Lance protested, trying to put his arms around her. Rogue stepped away.  
  
"Look, we'll talk about this later, alright?" Rogue said, wiping her eyes. Lance sighed, and sat down.  
  
Rogue took a deep breath, trying to quiet her tumultuous emotions. She entered the fighting area, which was surrounded by plexi-glass windows. Jubilee eyed her warily. Rogue swallowed. Was this the way it was going to be always between them? Fighting?  
  
At the sound of the whistle, Rogue shook off her thoughts and took her stance. Jubilee circled her, fists raised. Rogue ducked, as Jubilee took a flying leap through the air. Rogue kept in mind all that Logan had taught her about offensive fighting, and catapulted into the air with a series of impressive kicks, one of which caught Jubilee square in the jaw. Rogue bit her lip. She hated this, fighting one of her closest friends. Maybe Lance was right...Rogue suddenly staggered backwards as Jubilee hurled a surprise right hook.  
  
Rogue bristled with indignation. She took a deep breath and planned her strategy. Finally, summoning up all her energy, Rogue waited for the right moment and then, gave a powerful roundhouse kick right to Jubilee's stomach.  
  
Jubilee gasped in surprise, and instinctively threw an enormous plasma blast straight at her. Rogue blinked, faintly hearing the whistle blow, before everything went black 


	22. jealous, anyone?

NOTE: this chapter took a looong time for me to write, so please review it and tell me what u think, k? Thanx!  
  
Kitty bit fiercely into her blueberry muffin, staring aimlessly at the kitchen counter. She supposed she should thank her stars that the Professor had been nice enough to exclude her from the morning's Danger Room session. She didn't really feel ready to face Pietro's lying, cheating, yet totally devastating smile. How COULD he? Kitty thought for the hundredth time. After that kiss on the island, she had been almost positive that he'd felt the same way. Obviously she had been wrong.  
  
Jerk, thought Kitty darkly, taking a long gulp of her juice.  
  
"Is the juice that bad?" a voice teased pleasantly. Kitty stiffened, and then relaxed when she saw it was only Miss Munroe.  
  
"Uh, no," Kitty said, forcing a smile on her face. Miss Munroe smiled back and took a seat opposite her.  
  
"Whew, Jean and I finally hung the last of the decorations for Kurt's welcome home party," Miss Munroe said, stretching a little in her chair.  
  
Kitty felt a pang of guilt. She should have helped them, but what if she ran into Pietro?  
  
As if reading her thoughts, Miss Munroe smiled reassuringly, "I know you must be completely exhausted from the hunt. I'm not much of a camping person myself. And I hear the weather was awful."  
  
Kitty laughed at the way the weather goddess winked and nodded. "Yeah, it was raining all through the night."  
  
"I hope Pietro wasn't too much of a bother," Miss Munroe said. Kitty looked away.  
  
"He was..um,-" Kitty racked her mind for an adjective that could accurately sum up Pietro's behavior on the trip, but came up empty. Tender? Chivalrous? Kitty smiled at the thought of him bringing food to her. Then she flinched as the images of Pietro's arms around Bianca invaded her mind once again. Of course, why would Mr. Casinova settle for one girl when he could have the whole school, and spend his nights exchanging spit with Bianca Peterson? Kitty swallowed back tears. The kiss had been meaningless to him...that much was clear.  
  
"Kitty? Kitty are you alright?" Miss Munroe demanded, her gray eyes filled with concern.  
  
"Never better," Kitty finally said, forcing a cheerful smile to her face as she blinked back the tears. Miss Munroe looked unconvinced. "Really, I'm fine," Kitty asserted again.  
  
"Okay well, if your sure your alright, I think I'll do one last check before Kurt comes," Miss Munroe said, giving her one last worried look before leaving the kitchen. Kitty breathed a sigh of relief, and picked up her half eaten muffin again. This is pathetic, Kitty told herself. Eating herself into a coma wasn't going to put Pietro out of her mind. All she really wanted to do was go back up to her room, and curl back into bed. She was so depressed she could hardly summon up much excitement at the thought of Kurt coming back.  
  
Kitty sighed, picked up her plate and threw it into the sink. She turned around to find herself face to face with a pair of intense blue eyes. Pietro. Kitty nearly dropped the glass of juice in her right hand as she stared back at him. The room suddenly seemed to be charged with electricity. God, how can he look so honest after what he did?, Kitty thought with anguish. Then; He probably thinks I'm some kind of idiot, Kitty thought, anger coursing through her body.  
  
"Kitty, I have to talk to you," Pietro said, moving closer. Suddenly Kitty heard the doorbell ring.  
  
"Excuse me, but I have to go," Kitty said coolly, and pushed past him, ignoring the baffled look on his face.  
  
Pietro followed her out to the living room, where Kurt stood at the door, bags in hand being greeted by everyone. "Kitty, please, I-," Pietro tried again. Kitty, however, refused to listen. If Pietro could totally forget about their kiss and find someone else, then so could she!  
  
Striding purposefully, Kitty ran up and hugged Kurt tightly. "Kurt, I missed you so much!"  
  
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Pietro's jaw visibly harden as he and everyone else watched on in amazement. After a minute, Kitty stepped back, forcing a charming smile on her face. "How have you been?"  
  
"I've been great. Wow, if that's the kind of reception I get maybe I should go away more often," Kurt joked, giving his bags to Miss Grey.  
  
"Yeah maybe you should," Pietro muttered just loud enough for Kitty to hear, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He looked ...jealous, Kitty thought in amazement. Then shook her head. Pietro had already proved himself to be a flake, this was no more than a freak occurrence.  
  
"Uh, I don't think we've met. I'm Kurt Wagner," Kurt said, and held out a hand to Pietro.  
  
Pietro was silent a moment, and then shook it. " Pietro Maximoff. Kitty's told me a lot about you," he said tersely. He met Kitty's eyes over Kurt, his eyes unreadable. Kitty swallowed. Why was it he could twist up her emotions with just one look? I'm supposed to be mad at him, Kitty told herself furiously. After what he did, he had no right to go and make HER feel guilty!  
  
"Really? All good I hope," Kurt said jokingly, turning back to Kitty, who gave him a tentative smile.  
  
"Well, you must be hungry Kurt, come on," Miss Munroe interjected with a warm smile, and led him into the kitchen.  
  
Suddenly Kitty saw Miss Grey's eyes fill with worry. She turned to them quickly. "The Professor has just informed me that Rogue was hurt in the Danger Room. I'm so sorry Kurt, but I have to go attend to her. I promise I'll be back soon," Miss Grey said apologetically, and darted off.  
  
Rogue was hurt? Kitty bit her lip in worry at the thought of her seemingly indestructible friend lying in the infirmary. Kurt looked worried as well. "I hope she's all right."  
  
"She'll be fine I'm sure," Miss Munroe soothed. "Now how was your trip?"  
  
Kurt took a bite of grapefruit and smiled his trademark cheeky grin. "It was great but I'm glad to be home. I missed everyone," Kurt said, but he was looking straight at Kitty.  
  
Kitty flushed a little. "We missed you too, Kurt," Kitty said softly, trying to keep her eyes away from Pietro who was watching them with hawk- like intensity. "Pietro, you've hardly touched your breakfast," Miss Munroe remarked. Pietro looked up, his handsome face rigid.  
  
"I think I've lost my appetite," Pietro said shortly, and stood up. "I'll go check on how Rogue's doing. Excuse me," he said, and stalked out of the kitchen.  
  
Kitty watched him, open-mouthed. She stifled the urge to run after him. Part of her was thrilled that he was jealous, the other part wanted to sock him for being with Bianca. Kitty sighed. What was wrong with her? Why did Pietro have to go and betray her like that?  
  
Kurt waved a hand in front of her face. "Kitty, Kitty."  
  
Kitty blinked and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Kurt. I was just- .daydreaming."  
  
Kurt smiled and cocked his head jokingly. "Of me?"  
  
Kitty shoved away her thoughts of Pietro, and forced a smile to her face. Pietro and her would never be together. She just had to reconcile herself with that. "Of course, Kurt. Of course." 


	23. a shoulder to lean on

NOTE: Okay, this is a big shout out for advice, any and all will be much appreciated! And remember, please write reviews, many many reviews hehehe..  
  
  
  
Jubilee leaned against the side of the hospital bed, staring tearfully at her unconscious friend. "It's all my fault, Bobby. I just-," she broke off, unable to continue. Bobby looked up, his eyes full of compassion.  
  
"It wasn't your fault, Jubilee. Listen to me, okay. It was just an accident, alright?" Bobby said, coming over to her side. Jubilee shook head vehemently, and sniffed.  
  
"I don't know what happened to me. It was like an instinctive response, and I just..struck out. Oh god, I've been the worst friend to Rogue. I've ruined our friendship just because I was so crazy about Lance!" Jubilee burst out, fresh tears streaking down her doll-like face.  
  
Bobby looked down, swallowing hard at the mention of Lance, who was currently waiting outside of the infirmary anxiously, since Dr. Grey told them only two visitors at a time. It just wasn't fair. Jubilee still has a thing for Alvers, the guy who hardly speaks two words to her anymore, while I'm still just her friend, Bobby thought sadly. Then he shook his head firmly. Now was not the time to feel sorry for himself, not with Rogue unconscious and Jubilee a mess.  
  
"How are you two?" Dr. Grey's voice broke in gently, as she entered the room, and closed the door carefully.  
  
"Have I killed her?" Jubilee asked tearfully, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her yellow trench coat.  
  
"No of course not, Jubilee. Rogue just took a bad hit to the head, she should be up in a few hours," Dr. Grey soothed, reaching for the cold compressor.  
  
"See, Jubes, nothing serious," Bobby said, patting her back comfortingly.  
  
Jubilee sighed, looked at Rogue's white still face. "I'm sorry, you two, but Rogue needs to rest now. I promise you she'll be fine. Don't blame yourself, Jubilee," Dr. Grey said kindly, as Bobby led Jubilee outside.  
  
Jubilee managed to nod and stumbled outside almost in a daze. Bobby sighed, and ran a hand through his blonde hair tiredly.  
  
"How is she?" Lance asked immediately, standing up.  
  
"She's fine, Dr. Grey said she should be up in a few hours," Bobby reassured him shortly.  
  
"How are you holding up,.Jubes?" Lance inquired next, gently, turning his gaze to Jubilee, whose dark blue eyes were filled with tears.  
  
"I'm I'm- fine," Jubilee replied shakily. Lance put an arm around her comfortingly. Bobby's jaw tightened at the unexpected motion.  
  
"Want me to walk you back to your room, Jubes?" Bobby asked.  
  
"It's okay, Drake. I'll walk her back," Lance said firmly, and lead Jubilee away. Bobby forced himself to suppress the anger that was threatening to rise in him. Lance was just trying to be supportive. It was nothing.  
  
Yeah, right Drake, just keep telling yourself that, Bobby thought grimly, as he watched the pair walk away. 


	24. trying to forget

NOTE: okay, this is the new revised version: what's revised?  
  
Pietro stalked down the hallway, barely seeing where he was going. Kitty and Kurt, thought Pietro bitterly, how disgustingly cute. He just couldn't understand it. After that night on the island, he'd thought- Well, never mind what he'd thought. Kitty was obviously taken by the way she'd practically thrown herself at that Wagner kid, who looked like a freckled elf.  
  
Pietro sighed depressingly. It just figured that a girl like Kitty had a boyfriend. Somehow, he'd figured she'd go for someone more like...him. Forget her, Maximoff, Pietro told himself sternly. She'd made it more than clear this morning that the kiss meant nothing and they were back to their hate-hate relationship.  
  
Pietro blinked suddenly, as he saw a lone figure standing outside the infirmary looking almost as miserable as he felt. If that was possible. Pietro frowned as he came closer. Was that Drake? Yup, it was.  
  
Pietro scowled. Bobby Drake was the last person he wanted to run into now. After the little stunt he had pulled with that swamp hog Bianca, Bobby wasn't exactly his favorite person at the moment.  
  
"Jeez, what happened to YOU?" Bobby asked, looking up at Pietro. Pietro gave him a look that rivaled even Logan's. He wasn't about to share his doomed love life with the mansion's class clown. He wasn't that desperate...yet. "Okay, okay, fine. I don't care anyways. I've got problems of my own," Bobby said, leaning back against the door of the infirmary.  
  
Pietro smirked. "What kinds of problems do YOU have Drake? Besides a pea-sized brain."  
  
Bobby glared at him witheringly. "It's Jubilee and Lance."  
  
Pietro raised an eyebrow. "What about them?"  
  
"I don't know," Bobby replied sulkily and turned away. Pietro rolled his eyes.  
  
"Let me guess. This all has to do with the infamous love-triangle of Rogue, Jubile, and Lance, right?" Pietro asked. "Or should I say, love .square?" he added, with a knowing look at Bobby.  
  
Bobby looked away. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"You're gaga over Jubilee, and she has the hots for Alvers, who has the hots for Rogue," Pietro said, as if explaining it to a five year old. Pietro shook his head quickly. Why the heck was he following this soap opera anyways? Because you're involved in a little soap opera of your own, Pietro thought wryly, answering his own question.  
  
"What exactly is so great about Alvers anyways?" Bobby muttered. "I mean, he's so serious and uptight."  
  
Pietro nodded a little at that. "Yeah, he's always been like that. He was the unofficial leader of the Brotherhood."  
  
"Okay, so I told you my problem, now what's eating you?" Bobby asked, his blue eyes curious.  
  
At that moment, Kitty's laughter followed by Kurt's was heard from the kitchen. Pietro gritted his teeth. Bobby smirked. "Cat problems?'"  
  
Pietro glowered at him. "Do you always say the wrong thing Drake?"  
  
"No, just most of the time," Bobby said cheerfully. "What exactly happened between you two at that island?"  
  
Pietro swallowed hard. To lie or not to lie, that was the question. "Nothing, Nothing happened."  
  
Bobby snorted. "You're lying."  
  
"No way!"  
  
"Yes, you are. I can always tell, it comes from playing a lot of poker," Bobby explained, smirking confidently. "And the fact that you're lying means that something major happened."  
  
Pietro crossed his arms. Hell would freeze over before he'd admit what happened, and just how much it had affected him. Especially since it had taken Kitty less than a second to go back to her boyfriend. Pietro swallowed. It made him sick to think of Kitty with someone else. "Quit playing psychologist and worry about your own problems Drake," Pietro said shortly, and pushed past him to head to his room.  
  
He could forget Kitty. No problem, Pietro tried to tell himself assuredly. There were plenty of girls in the mansion that were dying to go out with him. It wasn't as if his life was empty without a certain brunette with a sharp tongue. Again, more of Kitty's gentle laughter wafted to his ears. Pietro slammed his door. Maybe it wouldn't be so easy to forget. 


	25. making up, breaking up....

NOTE: hmmm, nothing much to say, except please keep the reviews coming! Thanx so much to all those who have already reviewed!  
  
Rogue opened her eyes slowly, and rubbed her head. She saw Bobby sitting hunched over in a stool next to her bed, lost in thought.  
  
"Oh hey, you're awake," Bobby said surprised, getting up off the stool. "How are you feeling?"  
  
"Like I was just trampled by a herd of elephants," Rogue muttered, rubbing her head once again, and managed a tired smile.  
  
"You had everybody really worried. Especially Jubilee and Lance," Bobby added quietly. Rogue looked up.  
  
"Really? Where are they?"  
  
"Uh, Lance walked Jubes back to her room. I haven't really seen either of them since," Bobby said, looking a little put out.  
  
Rogue blinked. Lance and Jubilee? She swallowed hard, and laid back, silent a moment. Then, "Can you tell Lance that I need to talk to him?"  
  
"Sure, do you want anything else?" Bobby asked. Rogue forced a smile and shook her head.  
  
Bobby left the room with a wave in search of Lance. Rogue sat back and waited with a heavy heart. She didn't know why she was feeling so...insecure as of late. She hated the fact that she'd fought with Lance, when he'd only been looking out for her welfare. Well..hers' and Jubilee's.  
  
Lance is just trying to be nice, Rogue told herself sternly, thinking back to what he'd said earlier about Jubilee. Still, the lump in her throat refused to subside, and all her all fears came back. It was still so hard for her to believe that a boy liked her enough to be her boyfriend. Maybe he felt sorry for her...  
  
"Rogue?"  
  
Rogue jumped, and turned to see Lance pulling a chair to her bedside. He sat down and made a move to take her hand. Rogue jumped back involuntarily.  
  
"I don't have my gloves on, Lance," Rogue explained quickly, seeing the hurt look in his eyes. Lance nodded, and looked up at her, his hazel eyes penitent.  
  
"Rogue, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about what I said earlier..I didn't mean for us to fight," Lance said quietly.  
  
"I know, Lance, it was my fault really," Rogue replied earnestly. Then, lowering her eyes, "you were right, this whole fight between Jubilee and I has gone on way too long."  
  
"You know, she feels terrible about what happened. She couldn't stop crying," Lance said. "I'm just so glad your alright," Lance continued, his eyes tender. Rogue flushed, but strengthened her resolve.  
  
She had to do this, or she'd never know if what Lance felt for her was really love or...pity. Rogue shuddered at the thought, and cleared her throat. "Lance, will you please do something for me?"  
  
"Anything," Lance said, looking surprised. "What is it?"  
  
"I want you to go out with Jubilee," Rogue said in a tiny voice, not quite meeting his eyes. Lance's jaw dropped open.  
  
"WHAT?!" Lance sputtered, his eyes incredulous. "Absolutely not!" "Please," Rogue begged, sitting up to face him.  
  
"Why on earth would I go out with her when I'm dating you!" Lance exploded, crossing his arms.  
  
Rogue let out a shaky sigh. She couldn't tell Lance her fears..she couldn't tell him that she was afraid he was only dating her out of sympathy for her mutation. "I just, want to make it up to Jubilee. She likes you so much, and and, I think you two would be good together," Rogue whispered. Lance was silent and then let out a harsh laugh.  
  
"I can't believe this. Is this your way of dumping me Rogue?"  
  
"No!" Rogue protested, shocked. "I care about you Lance."  
  
Lance looked up finally, his eyes softened. "Then why are you doing this? I have no desire to date her. And what makes you think Jubilee would even say yes? She's your friend, and she knows we're together! She'd never agree, especially after your accident!"  
  
"I'm going to have a talk with her, and tell her it's okay with me. You can tell her.that we had a trial separation," Rogue said, her eyes pleading him. "Do this for me, Lance. Just one date." Rogue closed her eyes. She had to know how Lance really felt about Jubilee.  
  
Lance heaved a sigh. "Fine. One date, that's it."  
  
Rogue breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you Lance, and please promise me you won't tell anyone about this. I don't want Jubilee thinking that.that she's some kind of a pity case or something."  
  
Lance nodded and stood over her, his eyes sad and concerned. "Are you going to tell me the real reason why you're doing this?"  
  
Rogue swallowed and met his gaze clearly. "I just did." Lance looked at her long and hard and then walked out the door. Rogue closed her eyes, painfully. She had done the right thing. Atleast .she thought she had. 


	26. another chance

Jubilee gulped back her tears, as she leaned back against the door of the infirmary. Rogue was up and apparently wanted to see her. God, she must hate me, Jubilee thought miserably.  
  
"You can go in now, Jubilee," Dr. Grey said kindly, leading her in. Jubilee nodded shakily and inched her way to Rogue's bedside. Dr. Grey shut the door behind her and left with a wave to Rogue.  
  
Jubilee sat down and looked at her friend guiltily. Then, after a second, "Oh Rogue I'm so sorry! About everything! I was so- so stupid, and jealous, and I lost control of my powers for a second," Jubilee babbled. "Can you ever forgive me?"  
  
Rogue smiled and laughed. She leaned forward and gave her a quick hug. "Of course, it was only a bump. Look, I'm really sorry about everything," Rogue said more seriously, her eyes large. Jubilee shook her head.  
  
"I can't believe I let a guy come between us. That was totally dumb."  
  
"Actually..that's what I wanted to talk to you about," Rogue said slowly. "Lance and I had sort of a trial separation. We agreed to see other people for awhile."  
  
Jubilee felt her jaw drop, and forced herself to squelch the spurt of excitement in her. "I'm sorry," Jubilee said, looking down.  
  
"No, it's okay," Rogue said, in a deliberately casual voice. "It's the best thing for both of us anyways."  
  
Jubilee frowned, a little surprised. Rogue and Lance had seemed so..close. What had caused the break-up? Then it occurred to her. "Oh god, was it the accident? Is that what caused this?"  
  
Rogue shook her head vehemently. "Of course not, Jubes. We both agreed it would be best to take a break from each other."  
  
Jubilee nodded, but something in the back of her mind told her something wasn't right. Why was Rogue avoiding eye-contact? She shook it off. Maybe it was nothing. "How are you, though?"  
  
"I'm fine. It wasn't anything serious," Rogue assured her with a smile. "Hey, is Kurt back?"  
  
Jubilee brightened and nodded. Her friend seemed to be back to normal, and more importantly their friendship was back on track. "He came home this morning, he's having breakfast now. Don't worry, you'll see him at dinner."  
  
Rogue smiled and nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry to interrupt you girls, but I need to do some last checks on Rogue," Dr. Grey said with an apologetic smile, entering the room.  
  
"I'll see you at dinner, Jubes," Rogue said, waving. Jubilee waved back left with a smile on her face. She felt as if an enormous burden had been lifted off of her shoulders. She had hated fighting with Rogue. Thank god, all that's over, Jubilee said with a relieved smile, closing the infirmary door behind and heading down the hall.  
  
Suddenly, she saw Lance headed towards her. Jubilee swallowed hard, feeling her heart beat pick up again. He was probably going to see Rogue, Jubilee told herself. But.he was looking right at her. Lance stopped in front of her and cleared his throat. Jubilee shifted uncomfortably and flushed. She hadn't spoken to him much since the whole island incident. What could he possibly want?  
  
"Uh Jubilee, I was wondering..," Lance trailed off uncomfortably, barely meeting her eyes.  
  
"Wondering...?" Jubilee prodded curiously.  
  
"Would you go out with me on Friday?"  
  
Jubilee felt her stomach flutter. What was going on here? Lance was asking her out?! "I-I don't know. I mean-," Jubilee stammered.  
  
"Rogue and I are on a trial separation. And I thought, maybe, uh, we could give us another shot," Lance said, looking at the floor, his voice muffled. Jubilee couldn't help the smile creep up on her face.  
  
"Sure, I'd love to..I mean, if it's okay with Rogue," Jubilee said finally. Lance looked up.  
  
"Oh yeah, it's okay with Rogue," Lance said, a trace of bitterness in his voice. "So Friday at 6:00?"  
  
Jubilee nodded slowly. "That sounds great." Lance nodded and offered a small smile before rushing off in the other direction. Jubilee watched him go and squelched the ridiculous urge to start jumping up and down. Her crush on Lance had come back full force. She was so excited she had to tell someone!  
  
As if reading her thoughts, Jubilee spotted Bobby, and rushed over to him, nearly bowling him over.  
  
"Whoah, what's with you?"  
  
"Nothing...everything!" Jubilee burst out excitedly, taking his hand and forcing him to sit down. Bobby raised his eyebrows.  
  
"Calm down..what happened? Are you okay?" Bobby asked, concern in his eyes. Jubilee nodded, and smiled a little breathlessly.  
  
"Well, this is the greatest day of my life!"  
  
"They came out with a new flavor of gum?" Bobby joked. Jubilee giggled, and socked him in the arm.  
  
"NO, wiseguy. I made up with Rogue, she forgave me for everything!"  
  
Bobby brightened and smiled sweetly. "That's great Jubes, I'm glad everything worked out."  
  
"Wait, that's not the best part," Jubilee whispered excitedly. "Rogue told me that her and Lance have decided to see other people. Then, like, 5 minutes later...Lance asked me out!" Jubilee waited, and stopped when she saw Bobby's lips tighten a little. There was a short silence. "Well, aren't you happy for me?" Jubilee asked slowly, hurt at his lack of support.  
  
"Yeah, I'm happy for you," Bobby said finally, his blue eyes not quite meeting hers. Jubilee leaned forward and frowned.  
  
"You don't seem that happy," Jubilee countered.  
  
"Well, I just don't want to see you get hurt," Bobby said, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"And I won't," Jubilee said a little defensively. "Lance is a great guy."  
  
"Yeah, great," Bobby said shortly. "I'll seeya later Jubes, I'm gonna go talk to Kurt." Jubilee watched him go, baffled at his behavior. Jubilee shook her head and checked her watch. She had class in an hour...History. Plenty of time to daydream, Jubilee thought contentedly. 


	27. the great debate

Note: This chapter took awhile to write, so I'd really appreciate reviews on it! Thanx.enjoy!  
  
Kitty sat stiffly in Mr. Greyson's sociology class, trying her hardest to pay attention, but finding it impossible with Pietro sitting a mere 3 seats away. If she turned her head just a little to the left, she could see what he was doing.. Kitty watched as Pietro scribbled down something and passed it to the redhead Tina next to him. Tina tittered, wrote something back, and passed it back. Kitty watched the exchange, growing more and more furious. The sight of Pietro, looking handsome as ever, flirting his head off was more than she could stand. Kitty turned back to the front of the class resolutely, her hands clenched in small fists. Obviously, Pietro was sharing his time with more than one brain dead cheerleader.  
  
It was a small relief to her that the cheerleaders, including their evil leader Bianca, were clustered in the desks at the back, far away from her. Kitty turned around to look back at them, from one blank face to the other. Pietro found THEM attractive? It just goes to show how shallow he is, Kitty told herself. Whatever wit, charm, and warmth he'd shown her on the island was obviously just an allergic reaction to the outdoors. This was the real Pietro in all his arrogant, self-absorbed glory. Yet, no matter how many logical reasons Kitty mulled over to convince herself to get over Pietro, it wasn't working. Kitty found herself, looking up in the hallways to catch his eye, or draping an arm around Kurt to see if she could get a rise out of him.  
  
This is PATHETIC, Kitty told herself once again as she felt herself sinking into la-la land. "Miss Pryde? If your done day-dreaming, can you please pass back these worksheets," the stern voice of Mr. Greyson interrupted her reverie. Kitty immediately turned around, feeling a hot blush sweep her cheeks as she heard the annoying laughter of Bianca's crew. For once, she found herself wishing she didn't sit in the very front of the class.  
  
"Sure Mr. Greyson," Kitty said meekly, and took the sheets from his outstretched hand. As she turned to pass them back, her eyes searched for Pietro and found him looking straight at her. Kitty gulped at the intense look in his eyes. She had almost forgotten how totally mesmerizing they could be, how sharply they contrasted with his silvery hair..  
  
"Are you okay, Kitty?" Kurt asked from his seat next to hers, leaning over concernedly. The moment was quickly broken, as Pietro slid his eyes over to Kurt and then draped an arm smoothly around Tina. Kitty's stomach clenched and she felt tears threaten to spill. Kitty quickly blinked back the tears, and turned rapidly to Kurt, giving him a brilliant smile.  
  
"I'm fine, Kurt, never better."  
  
"That's good, because for a second, you looked kind of. I dunno, lost," Kurt remarked, his eyebrows raised. Yup, that's exactly what she'd been..lost. Lost in crazy illusions about Pietro. I'm going to show him, just how over him I am, Kitty thought determinedly.  
  
"Do we have any volunteers for today's debate about the difficulty of communication between the genders in today's society?" Mr. Greyson asked, scanning the room.  
  
Kitty felt her hand go up. Kurt looked at her quizzically and Kitty avoided his gaze. She knew it was unlike her, but somehow she couldn't help herself. "Great, Kitty. Now how about someone to represent the men?"  
  
To Kitty's horror, she saw Pietro put up his hand casually. Kitty tried to motion to Kurt with her eyes to volunteer, but it was already too late. Mr. Greyson nodded to Pietro, who slid out of his seat, and walked up to the front of the class where she stood. Kitty felt as if the whole room had just gotten about 50 degrees hotter.  
  
"Alright, now Pietro why don't you start us off why miscommunication happens so often between men and women?" Mr. Greyson prompted to Pietro.  
  
"Well, I'd say that women often send mixed messages. Sometimes, when you think things might go further in the relationship, they cut you off," Pietro started, leaning back against the chalkboard.  
  
Kitty's jaw dropped open in anger. WOMEN were the ones sending mixed messages? Ha!  
  
"Kitty, would you like to respond to that?" Mr. Greyson asked.  
  
"Yes I would," Kitty said, her brown eyes snapping. "I think that men are the ones who are sending the mixed messages. They all have it in their head that just because they might be good-looking and popular, they can mess around with as many girls as possible."  
  
Oh my god, did I just say that?! Kitty thought horrified as the class stared back at her. Kurt's eyebrows shot up almost to his hairline. Pietro turned to face her, his blue eyes glittering with a mixture of amusement and irritation.  
  
"Well, maybe the guys wouldn't mess around, if the girls would tell them that they have boyfriends before things got serious between them!" Pietro said forcefully, crossing his arms. That was rich! Kitty thought furiously.  
  
"And MAYBE," Kitty retorted, facing him till they were less than inch apart, "the girls wouldn't HAVE to tell them about the boyfriend if the guys would stop assuming that just because a girl stays at home on Friday nights, it means she's some kind of drip without a social life!"  
  
"Uh, you two," Mr. Greyson tried to break in hastily. But Pietro and Kitty were oblivious to him, too wrapped up in the argument.  
  
"The guys are not the only ones making ASSUMPTIONS..just because a guy likes to date doesn't make it right for the girl to assume that he's a heartless, unfeeling jerk!" Pietro said heatedly.  
  
"UNLESS," Kitty retaliated, just as heatedly, "the guy has proven it a hundred times over by using women as if they were ATM machines!"  
  
"Well perhaps the guy should just stop wasting his time getting his heart stomped by the girl and move on!" Pietro shot back, his eyes flashing. Kitty forced her heartbeat to slow, to no avail.  
  
"Yeah, PERHAPS!" Kitty bit out, her own arms crossed like a shield over her chest. The two stared at each other fiercely, and Kitty felt as if her lips were being led by some unseen force towards his. Pietro was staring at her so intensely, that Kitty felt a hot flush spread from her neck up to her face.  
  
Finally, it was Mr. Greyson who broke the palpable tension by clearing his throat loudly. Kitty and Pietro turned away from each other quickly. "I'm sorry to break this up so soon, but the class is over. But, I must say, that was some debate, you two," Mr. Greyson told them, his voice full of disbelief. "I can't remember when two people got so caught up in what they were saying. Good job, both of you."  
  
Kitty and Pietro both muttered thanks, and narrowly avoided bumping into each other on the way out the door. Kurt met up with her as they exited, his eyes wide with admiration.  
  
"You were great, Kitty," Kurt said sincerely. Kitty smiled at him, her emotions still in a jumble.  
  
"Thanks Kurt."  
  
"I have math now, so I guess I'll see you at dinner?" Kurt asked hopefully.  
  
Kitty nodded absentmindedly. "Yeah, of course. Mr. Summers and everyone else wanted us all eating dinner together, you know, to sort of welcome you back."  
  
"Great," Kurt said, flashing her a smile. "I can't wait." With one last smile, he left down the hall. Kitty watched him go, wondering for the hundredth time why she could never see him as anything other than a friend. Kurt was the ideal boyfriend; sweet, considerate, funny and an all around nice guy. Yet, Kitty couldn't think of him romantically, hard as she tried.  
  
Shaking her head, Kitty found herself face to face with a sneering Bianca. Kitty rolled her eyes. The way she was feeling, the last thing she needed was another run in with the vamp queen.  
  
"Well, if it isn't little Miss Man-hater," Bianca said disdainfully.  
  
"Aren't you do back at the laboratory to get your bolts tightened?" Kitty retorted.  
  
Bianca sneered at her. "Still drooling over Pietro, huh?"  
  
Kitty narrowed her eyes. "Hardly. He can dive off the nearest bridge for all I care."  
  
Bianca stopped, a brief look of surprise flitting across her well made-up face. Then the trade-mark sneer was back in place. "Well, that's good, because Pietro and I are perfect together. There's no way, he'd settle for a mouse like you."  
  
Kitty could practically feel steam coming from her ears. "I have better things to do than hear about your back-seat escapades with Pietro. I have to get to class, and I'm sure your depriving some village of an idiot, so I won't take up any more of your time," Kitty spit out, and turned on her heel, practically stomping her way to her next class. 


	28. the long supper

NOTE: First of all, I'd like to thank all the reviewers, especially Blessed Be, and litirick who have given me so many helpful and nice reviews. Well, here's ch. 28, hope you all enjoy it! As always, more reviews will keep more chapters coming.  
  
Bobby went into the kitchen, watching listlessly as Miss Munroe strained the spaghetti, and covered it with a creamy red sauce. She turned around and smiled at him. "Hi Bobby, dinner will be ready in about 10 minutes, can you please go call the others? I want everyone here to welcome Kurt back." Bobby nodded with a brief smile and walked back down the hallway, his thoughts a jumble.  
  
Just when he'd thought that maybe Jubilee had seen the light and realized how right they were for each other...Alvers had to do a 180 on Rogue! Bobby rubbed his head tiredly remembering the way Jubilee's face lit up when she spoke about Lance to him. It was undeniable, her crush on Lance had come back with a vengeance, and once again, Bobby was the good old buddy whose shoulder she could cry on, or ditch whenever Lance came around. Bobby knew he should have been furious at the way Jubilee had been treating him lately.but somehow the anger wouldn't come.  
  
He was in love with her, too in love to be angry with her. Bobby knew he'd rather be Jubilee's best friend than have no place in her life or her heart. I can suck it up, Bobby thought bravely, but as soon as he caught sight of Jubilee walking towards him, he felt his heart clench painfully. He couldn't bear the thought of Jubilee talking to him about Alvers with that starry look in her eyes, knowing that she'd never look at him that way.  
  
"Bobby, there you are!"  
  
Bobby set his lips tightly; his eyes taking in her beautiful blue eyes alight with happiness. He had to stay away. But caught so near her, Bobby felt his feet rooted to the floor, speechless.  
  
"Bobby, are you alright?" Jubilee asked softly, her brow furrowing in concern at the sadness that dimmed her best friend's eyes.  
  
No I'm not, Bobby felt like saying, but bit back the words. "I have to go, Jubilee," Bobby muttered, and pushed past her.  
  
"But, why-?" Jubilee began, but Bobby was running down the hall already without a look back.  
  
Bobby could practically picture the look of confusion and hurt on her face, and closed his eyes. He had to stay away from Jubilee for away, just until the thought of her going out with another guy didn't make his heart feel like it had been run over.  
  
Bobby sighed heavily, peeked out the door, to find the hallway empty. He walked back down to find everyone already seated around the big oakwood table, waiting for him. He smiled sheepishly at Miss Munroe, and carefully avoided Jubilee's hurt look when he didn't wave at her. The last thing he needed was guilt. It was Jubilee who didn't have time for him. She didn't need him when she had the Almighty Alvers, Bobby thought bitterly, scooting into the seat furthest from Jubilee and Lance.  
  
Everyone was present; Logan, Mr. Summers and the rest of the adults were spooning food onto plates and passing them around. However, all the students seemed ill at ease, Bobby noticed. Kitty kept sneaking looks at Pietro while half-heartedly conversing with Kurt, Lance kept looking at Rogue, who was avoiding his eyes. Pietro was busy glaring at Kurt across the table, and Jubilee was staring listlessly at the spaghetti, while Todd slurped his coke obnoxiously. Yes, it was not a normal picture.  
  
Dr. Grey seemed to notice and cleared her throat. "So, Kurt, why don't you tell us a little about your visit?" she asked, trying to start a conversation to break the uncomfortable silence.  
  
Kurt grinned lopsidedly. "It wasn't very exciting, hardly any kids my age to talk to. Also, Michigan was freezing," he said, and popped a meatball into his mouth. He smiled with satisfaction. "I sure missed Thursday's spaghetti nights." Mr. Summers smiled warmly. "We're glad to have you back as well. Have you met Pietro, Lance, and Todd? They're new here."  
  
Kurt nodded at Pietro, who was still glaring at him. But Kurt, being Kurt, was totally oblivious to the hostility in his gaze. "Yup, I've met them," Kurt said cheerfully.  
  
"Anyways, guys, what'd I miss while I was gone?" Kurt asked, looking up from his food. Bobby fought the urge to laugh. What had he MISSED? Ha!  
  
"Uh, um...well nothing, really," Jubilee offered a little quietly, trying to catch Bobby's eye, but not succeeding.  
  
"That's not true," Logan snorted. "There was a treasure hunt on the island of Genosha, and we paired them all off in a competition to see who could get to the finish line first."  
  
"That sounds like fun, who won?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Rogue and I won," Lance said, his voice low. Rogue blushed and pretended to focus on her food. Jubilee just looked back from Lance and Rogue, her eyes uncertain. Bobby could feel the silence lengthen. He saw Mr. Summers and Logan exchange skeptical glances.  
  
"So, Pietro and Kitty got left behind for a couple days on the island," Miss Munroe said, trying to rejuvenate the conversation once again.  
  
"Really, Kitty?" Kurt asked, looking over at Kitty whose face had turned scarlet almost immediately.  
  
"Uh, yeah Kurt," Kitty said, her face still a brilliant shade of pink.  
  
"So what'd you guys do for 2 whole days with no TV or anything?" Kurt asked innocently. What happened next was comic. Bobby watched in amazement, as Kitty and Pietro simultaneously began choking on their drinks.  
  
"Nothing!" Kitty and Pietro blurted out together. They looked at each other for a second and then back down at their plates.  
  
"Oh sure, we believe you," Todd said sarcastically.  
  
"Todd," Logan said warningly. Todd gulped, and continued eating silently, with a small smirk thrown at a very uneasy Pietro. Kurt frowned a little. Bobby sighed, and sat back in his chair as another silence followed. He felt as if the dinner had lasted hours. He wasn't sure if he could take anymore of this.  
  
"So, Kurt," Pietro said, breaking the silence, his eyes unreadable, "how long have you and Kitty been going out?" 


	29. a friend lost

NOTE: Hey, everyone! Sorry this chapter is so short, but I promise ch 30 is longer!  
  
Jubilee sat in her chair, glancing up every few seconds to see if Bobby was looking at her. But of course he wasn't. For some unknown reason, her best friend was avoiding her like the plague. Jubilee could hardly touch the food and was barely listening to the dragging conversation, her heart heavy. The joy the morning's good news had brought, with Rogue and her friends again, and her date with Lance tomorrow, seemed to fall away, at the first fight she'd had with Bobby. Was it a fight if one friend ignored the other?  
  
It certainly was, Jubilee thought miserably, looking across the table at Bobby. Bobby had always been there for her. When she had been at her worst, distraught over Rogue's betrayal, he'd comforted her. So when Lance asked her out, why couldn't he share her joy? Why couldn't he be happy for her? Jubilee racked her brain at what could have upset Bobby so much that he couldn't even look at her, let alone talk to her.  
  
You need to stop thinking about this and making yourself miserable, Jubilee thought trying to put the image of Bobby's handsome face out of her head. Kurt is back, and you should be paying attention, Jubilee chided herself. Throwing one last forlorn look at Bobby, she tried her best to ignore the way Lance and Rogue looked at each other and listen to the conversation. Jubilee looked up to see Kurt's face full of shock, his spoon suspended in mid-air.  
  
"What?" Kurt sputtered. Jubilee frowned as she saw Kitty's face turn red for the second time that night. Kitty had been blushing a lot these days, Jubilee noted. But hardly anything threw Kurt off center..what were they talking about?  
  
"How long have you and Kitty been dating?" Pietro repeated. Dr. Grey's mouth opened in shock. There was a palpable silence as everyone looked at each other in puzzlement.  
  
"We aren't-," Kurt began, finally.  
  
With a panicked look, Kitty spoke up quickly, nearly toppling her glass of water in the process. "What he means," Kitty said desperately, cutting him off, "is that we wanted to wait to tell everybody about us. We've been dating a long time. A really long time," Kitty finished, looking around at the table, her eyes pleading with them not to contradict her. Kurt looked over at Kitty, his eyebrows raised.  
  
"Oh really, just how long?" Logan asked, looking back from the baffled Kurt to Kitty, who was gulping down water as if she were dying of thirst.  
  
Jubilee felt sympathetic for the tight spot Kitty had managed to get herself into. I might as well try to help her out, Jubilee thought, clearing her throat.  
  
"I knew about their relationship. They've been dating about..about um, 3 years ," Jubilee said, randomly picking a number.  
  
"But, Kurt has only been at the mansion for 2 years," Mr. Summers pointed out.  
  
"You been dating him since you were 13?!" Todd said incredulously.  
  
Jubilee watched the drama unfold, but felt her thoughts still drift to Bobby. We'll make up and be friends again soon, Jubilee tried to comfort herself. But looking at Bobby's tight-lipped expression, and his hooded eyes, she wasn't so sure anymore. 


	30. the truth? anyone?

NOTE: PLEASE review this chapter! I neeed feedback! Thanx again!  
  
Kitty wanted to melt through the floor. I'm doomed, Kitty thought as she looked around the table at one shocked face to the other. The dinner had quickly gone to hell, all because of Pietro's stupid question. Kitty could've kicked herself for telling the lie in the first place. She'd never be able to get out of this. Avoiding Pietro's intense gaze, she poured yet another glass of water, and downed it quickly.  
  
Finally, after what seemed like ages, Kurt said quietly, "It's true, we have been dating for 3 years. I met Kitty earlier, and she's one of the reasons I initially wanted to come to the mansion."  
  
Kitty's jaw dropped open, and she let out her breath, weak with relief. I'm sorry you had to tell that lie Kurt, Kitty tried to tell him with her eyes. Kurt's face was unreadable. Kitty looked away to see a flash of pain in Pietro's eyes. She blinked and it was gone.  
  
"Well, this certainly is a surprise. You could have told us, you know," Mr. Summers said sternly. Kitty nodded numbly, wishing she could run to her room and hide.  
  
The dinner progressed smoothly after that, with everyone breaking into light chatter, with the exception of Pietro, Kitty, and Kurt, all of whom had fallen silent. Afterwards, Kitty quickly dumped her dishes in the sink and walked out of the kitchen, and found Kurt in front of her, his arms crossed in front of him.  
  
"Kitty, can we talk?"  
  
Kitty nodded and the two walked outside to the rooftop loft that had always been her favorite place to go when she was upset. When they got there, Kurt was silent a moment, then turned to her.  
  
"Okay what's going on Kitty? What was that at dinner?" Kurt demanded. Kitty knew he was angry, and had ever right to be.  
  
"I'm so sorry Kurt," Kitty burst out in a rush. "You see, I told Pietro that.that-you were my boyfriend." Kitty felt her face flame for the fiftieth time that day. God this was embarrassing, Kitty thought.  
  
Kitty watched as Kurt's own ears turned pink. "Why did you tell him that?" Kurt asked, his voice softened.  
  
Kitty sighed heavily, sitting down. "You might as well know the whole story," Kitty said. Kurt's eyes perked up with curiosity. The story spilled out piece by piece. When she finished, Kurt was silent a moment.  
  
"So, you're using me to make Pietro jealous?"  
  
Kitty winced. It sounded horrible when it came out like that. But she knew Kurt was right. She HAD used him to get to Pietro. "Yes," Kitty said in a small voice. "I'm really sorry, I had no right to do that. It was...pretty stupid, huh?"  
  
"Yeah," Kurt agreed, then laughed at the look Kitty gave him. "Kitty, I won't lie to you. I've always hoped that we could become..more than friends," Kurt said gently.  
  
Kitty flushed. "Uh, Kurt-,"  
  
"Wait, let me finish. But it's obvious that your nuts about this guy Pietro and he's pretty nuts for you, so I'll help you," Kurt said finally.  
  
Kitty shook her head. "There's no need for that, Pietro couldn't care less about me."  
  
Kurt looked at her in disbelief. "Have you seen the way that guy looks at you?" Kitty shook her head wordlessly. Then her face burned as she remembered back to the debate, and the way Pietro had looked as he argued, his blue eyes snapping with fire.  
  
"Thanks Kurt," Kitty said, sighing a little.  
  
"Anytime, Kitty," Kurt said, back to his old cheerful self. "Now let's go back inside for dessert."  
  
Kitty laughed. "I swear Kurt, you have one track mind." The two friends climbed down the ladder and made their way to the front door, only to run into Pietro who was hanging at the entrance to the mansion talking to Tina, the redhead from class. Kitty's heart clutched painfully, as she exchanged a look with Kurt.  
  
"Okay, so you'll meet me at 6:30 for our date tomorrow, right?" Kitty heard Tina say in a high-pitched voice. Kurt looked sympathetically at Kitty, who was clenching her fists.  
  
"You got it Tina," Pietro called to Tina. The tall red head waved and walked out the gates of the mansion. He turned lazily back to them, his eyes jumping when he saw Kitty standing next to Kurt.  
  
"If you're done flirting, we'd like to get inside before we freeze to death," Kitty snapped.  
  
"Certainly, " Pietro replied smoothly, opening the door wide for them to enter. "Oh and Kitty, would you mind telling Mr. Summers that I'm going to be borrowing the car tomorrow for a date, since you'll be at home."  
  
Kitty gritted her teeth. She had no doubt that Pietro had said that for the express purpose of annoying her. He was always so sure that she'd be sitting at home while he went out with yet another skanky girl!  
  
"You can tell him yourself," Kitty said furiously, "because Kurt and I are going out tomorrow as well!" The words were out before she could think. Kitty groaned inwardly .Why was she CONSTANTLY putting her foot in her mouth, and sticking Kurt in uncomfortable situations? But Kurt looked unperturbed.  
  
"Is that so?" Pietro asked quietly.  
  
"Yup, I'm taking her out tomorrow," Kurt asserted, stepping in front of Kitty.  
  
"Great," Pietro commented, but his luminous blue eyes belied his words. Kitty felt a little hope rising in her...he DID look jealous.But just as soon as the thought appeared, it was gone. Get real, Kitty told herself, if he cared about you would he be taking out Tina?  
  
"Uh, I think I hear Dr. Grey calling me," Kurt said quickly, with a look at Pietro and Kitty who were staring fixedly at each other. "I'll seeya tomorrow Kitty."  
  
Kitty snapped out of it, and watched Kurt go. With the two of them alone, Kitty felt as if the air were crackling with the electricity between them. The silence between them hung, and Kitty and Pietro began to move at the same time. Suddenly, Kitty turned her head just as Pietro did, and their lips brushed in light kiss. Pietro's eyes burned into hers as Kitty lost herself in his kiss. But just as soon as it had began, it was over. Kitty looked at him wordlessly, her emotions raging inside her, than pushed past him, and fled to her room.  
  
  
  
* So what'd you guys think? Hmmmm? 


	31. aftermath

NOTE: hey, sorry it took so long to update, but I've been going nuts dealing w/ Other stuff..this chapter's pretty short but I promise the next one's longer! As always, reviews are REALLY appreciated! Thanx.  
  
Pietro stared after Kitty, trying to shake off the shock of what had just happened. Just when he was trying to get over her, THIS had to happen. Pietro shook his head, his lips tingling. Pietro closed his eyes, trying to resist the urge to run after her, make sure she was okay. It would only complicate things. God, her and Kurt had been together for 3 years..how could he compete with THAT kind of history? I can't, Pietro thought grimly. Just thinking of the two of them together made his heart thud slowly.  
  
Pietro went inside and walked down the hallway, pausing in front of Kitty's door. Then against his will, he found himself knocking. I have to tell her how I feel, Pietro thought, his throat feeling like cotton. He had never felt so nervous about a girl. Pietro shook his head, and was about to flee when the door opened.  
  
"What do you want?" Kitty asked. Pietro stared back at her, noting that her beautiful brown eyes were tinged with red. Had she been crying? Pietro swallowed and opened his mouth to talk. But, suddenly, the door flew open wider to reveal Kurt standing behind Kitty, a concerned expression on his face.  
  
Pietro swallowed hard, his face flaming. I kissed her and who does she go to? Her boyfriend, of course, Pietro told himself bitterly. He had his answer. She didn't need him and she certainly didn't want him.  
  
"Nothing," Pietro retorted, and was gone in a flash, not giving them a second glance.  
  
Pietro reached his room, face flushed with emotion. Then, on a whim, he grabbed his jacket and shot out the front door for a quick run. The further away from Kitty Pryde he got, the better. 


	32. the truth is out

NOTE: reviews reviews reviews..hehe  
  
Friday night had finally come, and Jubilee felt her nervousness increase with every second. As soon as classes had finished, she had rushed to her room to try on outfits and pick the perfect one for her date with Lance. She first picked up a glittery top, and long straight black skirt cut to her knee. After putting it on, she twirled around.  
  
"What do you think, Kitty?" Jubilee asked anxiously.  
  
Kitty listlessly kicked a pillow. "What?"  
  
"I asked you what you thought about this outfit?" Jubilee repeated, raising her eyebrows.  
  
"It's great," Kitty replied half-heartedly, barely looking up. Jubilee sighed concernedly.  
  
"You know, you should be getting ready for your date with Kurt..you know, your "boyfriend"."  
  
"FAKE boyfriend, you mean," Kitty retorted. "And I only said that to make Pietro jealous anyhow. It doesn't matter anymore, as of this minute, he's out to dinner with Little Miss Baywatch Tina."  
  
Jubilee looked at her friend sternly. "So? Are you going to let that ruin your night? Are you just going to sit here and mope around the house watching reruns of I Love Lucy?"  
  
"I was planning on it," Kitty said, ruffling her shoulder length brown hair despondently.  
  
"Well, than you'll just prove Pietro right," Jubilee reminded her. Kitty sat up at that, and her brown eyes narrowed.  
  
Straightening her shoulders, she nodded. "Your right. There is no WAY I'm staying home feeling sorry for myself."  
  
"That's the spirit," Jubilee cheered. "Now go get dressed. It's almost 6:00."  
  
Kitty nodded and began rifling through her own clothes for a dress. Jubilee turned back to the mirror, eyeing her reflection hesitantly. She felt completely out of place in a skirt Her own style usually ran to sparkly t-shirts and jeans, unlike Kitty and Rogue who always knew how to dress up. Should I wear my hair up or down? Jubilee wondered. I know, I'll ask Bobby, Jubilee decided, opening the door. Then stopped, her hand frozen on the doorknob.  
  
Bobby wasn't speaking to her. Jubilee leaned against the door, closing her eyes. Her best friend had been ignoring her for 2 days now and it seemed like forever. She just couldn't understand why he wouldn't talk to her. They'd always been so close. Why was he shutting her out? Jubilee shook her head. She wasn't going to give him up without a fight. Making up her mind to confront him, Jubilee headed downstairs, straightening the skirt and walking down unsteadily in her high heels.  
  
She saw Bobby cross the kitchen, a drink in hand. As his eyes met hers, Jubilee saw his jaw drop and his eyes widen. Then just as quickly, Bobby's eyes fell and he turned away.  
  
"No, Bobby wait!" Jubilee called desperately, stumbling as fast as she could down the stairs in her heels. He stopped and turned around to face her. Jubilee felt a blush sweep through her cheeks as she felt his gaze on her. "Do I look okay?"  
  
"You look beautiful, as always," Bobby choked out hoarsely, then tried to turn away, but Jubilee put an arm on his beseechingly. He recoiled as if burned and Jubilee stared at him, hurt.  
  
"I don't understand why you won't talk to me. What have I done wrong?" Jubilee cried out. Her heart pounded as she saw Bobby's blue eyes lift up to hers. Strangely, she felt her stomach flutter under his gaze. Why was she feeling this way around him all the time? Jubilee pushed the feelings aside quickly. All that mattered was getting her best friend back.  
  
"You wouldn't understand, Jubilee," Bobby said finally. Jubilee felt anger rise in her at his evasive remark.  
  
"Like hell I wouldn't! All I know is that we've been best friends for the longest time and now you won't even speak to me! Why are you acting so immature about Lance?" Jubilee shouted, feeling tears prick at her eyes.  
  
Bobby's face flushed with anger. "Immature, huh? Yeah, well, maybe I just don't want to see you get hurt!"  
  
Jubilee could feel the tears flowing freely now. "Oh I get it! You don't think that any guy could like me enough to ask me out!"  
  
"That isn't true and you know it!" Bobby shouted back, his blue eyes flashing.  
  
"Yes it is true," Jubilee yelled, her voice intermingled with sobs, "if that's your attitude, you can go stuff it, because I'm sick of it!"  
  
"And I'm sick of being around someone who's too blind to see when their best friend is in love with them!" Bobby shouted back, then stopped when he realized what he'd said. His face flushed hotly.  
  
Jubilee felt her heart pound madly. "What?" Jubilee choked out disbelievingly. The room went silent, as Bobby looked down.  
  
"I've been in love with you for years. You had to have known," Bobby said finally, looking up, his jaw set. Jubilee swallowed.  
  
"I guess-I mean, I didn't realize you, I-,"Jubilee stammered, her cheeks flaming. Bobby shook his head.  
  
"You don't have to say anything. Just go on your date with Lance, Jubilee," Bobby said softly, but Jubilee heard his voice thick with sadness and frustration. Jubilee tried to call out to him as Bobby turned on his heel and walked down the hall, but couldn't make her voice work. She was too overwhelmed.  
  
Bobby's in love with me, Jubilee told herself, her heart taking strange leaps.  
  
"Jubes, are you alright?" Rogue said concernedly, appearing from the kitchen, noting her friend's tear-streaked face. "What happened?"  
  
"Bobby and I had a fight," Jubilee said woodenly, wiping her face.  
  
Rogue hugged her. "I know Bobby will come around, don't worry."  
  
"Thanks, "Jubilee said, grateful that she had Rogue back as her friend.  
  
"By the way, Lance is waiting for you outside in the car," Rogue said quietly. Jubilee looked up to see a quick flash of sadness in her eyes.  
  
"Rogue are you sure your okay with this? If you don't want me to go, I won't," Jubilee said, looking her friend in the eye. Jubilee felt herself wishing Rogue would do just that. All she wanted to do now, was go up to her room and cry her heart out, her excitement at dating Lance had dwindled to nothing.  
  
But Rogue shook her head firmly. "I'm fine with it Jubes. Go, have a good time," Rogue said. Jubilee looked at her and forced a shaky smile.  
  
"Well, okay. I'll seeya later okay?"  
  
Rogue nodded and smiled back at her. "Yeah. And Jubilee?"  
  
Yeah?" Jubilee asked, turning around.  
  
"Don't worry about Bobby."  
  
Jubilee smiled shakily, waved, and walked down the steps, to see Lance standing outside the car handsome as ever. But somehow, when she looked at him, a part of her wished it was Bobby waiting for her. She shook her head quickly to shake the image. Wasn't Lance the guy she had longed for? Yes it was, Jubilee told herself firmly. But as she looked back at the mansion, her thoughts turned quickly back to Bobby. Why did love have to be so hard? Jubilee thought, and felt her eyes cloud again with tears. 


	33. the plan

NOTE: REVIEWS PLEASE!!! thanx  
  
Rogue watched Jubilee go, and closed the door, her heart heavy. How could she tell Jubilee that it was killing her to see her go out with her boyfriend? Ex-boyfriend, Rogue reminded herself. What if it turned out that Lance DID like Jubilee better? Rogue bit her lip and wandered into the living room, where Bobby was sitting on the couch, flipping channels aimlessly.  
  
"Jubilee just left with Lance," Rogue announced in a voice far more cheerful than she felt.  
  
Bobby didn't look up, but continued flipping channels. "That's great, Rogue. By the way, how come your taking this so well?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, how can you act so happy when one of your closest friends is going out with your ex-boyfriend?" Bobby asked, looking up. Then without waiting for her to answer, he let out a little snort of disgust. "Alvers is a real piece of work. First he dates you, then he dumps you and goes after Jubilee."  
  
"He didn't dump me, I dumped him," Rogue blurted out, in defense of Lance. Her eyes closed as she remembered the hurt look in his eyes when she'd told him. Bobby let out a little strangled sound and stood up.  
  
"You did WHAT?!"  
  
Rogue looked away. Bobby came closer, his arms crossed in front of his chest.  
  
"Why did you do that? I thought you liked Lance!" Bobby exclaimed, throwing up his hands.  
  
"I do, I just-," Rogue stopped, turning away.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I was afraid Lance was just dating me because he felt sorry for me..., I wanted him to go out with Jubilee to see if he liked her better, you know to test if his feelings for me were real," Rogue said quietly. Bobby looked at her for a second.  
  
"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard!" Bobby exploded. Rogue bristled and turned on him.  
  
"What do you mean by that? You don't know what it's like-," Rogue started defensively.  
  
"Maybe I don't, but your no victim Rogue, and you know it. Lance is crazy about you and you let your insecurities ruin your relationship and all my chances with Jubilee," Bobby said, his voice fading. Rogue swallowed. He was right. God I"ve been so stupid, Rogue thought, forcing back the urge to slap her forehead.  
  
"I'm sorry Bobby. Thanks to me, Jubilee and Lance are sharing a candlelit dinner at Chez Pierre," Rogue said, plopping down on the couch. Bobby's eyes suddenly took on a shrewd gleam.  
  
"Uh oh, I don't like that look in your eye," Rogue said, eyeing her friend.  
  
"Just think about it. We have the car, why don't we drop by Chez Pierre and -," Bobby trailed off.  
  
"And what? SPY on them!" Rogue said incredulously.  
  
"Well, it's not such a bad idea," Bobby said, a tiny grin appearing at the corners of his mouth. Rogue shook her head.  
  
"Are you crazy? It's fancy, and they'd throw us out if we showed up in jeans!" Rogue protested.  
  
"Details details," Bobby said, dismissing it with a wave of his hand. "Wear a dress, I'll go up and change into a suit. Come on, Rogue, it's better than sitting at home and torturing ourselves with images of them slow dancing."  
  
Rogue stood silent a moment, then nodded and dashed upstairs. 20 minutes later, she appeared in long sleek emerald green dress that set of her eyes, her auburn hair done up in a twist. Bobby whistled.  
  
"Wow, you look great, Rogue."  
  
Rogue smiled. "Thanks, Bobby. You look pretty sharp, yourself."  
  
Bobby tugged uncomfortably at his tie. "I can't believe I have to wear this crud."  
  
Rogue smiled wryly at him. "Hey it was your idea to go to Chez Pierre."  
  
"Right, so let's get moving," Bobby said .The two climbed into the car and backed out of the mansion's gates. The 10 minute ride to the French restaurant was fraught with nervous energy. Finally, Bobby found parking down the road, and helped Rogue out.  
  
"Wow look at the line of cars .This place must be packed!" Rogue breathed. Bobby couldn't help marveling the expensive cars parked, and looked ruefully at Dr. Grey's borrowed Fiat. His eyes scanned the lot, and stopped in shock.  
  
"Hey wait a second, isn't that Kurt's car?"  
  
"Yeah, and I know that's Mr. Summer's car!" Rogue exclaimed at the same time. They both looked at each other.  
  
"Great, let's hope we don't run into Kitty and Kurt," Bobby muttered.  
  
"Or Pietro and that girl he's dating," Rogue added, giving the cars one last look.  
  
"Alright," Bobby said determinedly. "Here's the game plan, we go in, stay hidden, and keep an eye on Jubes and Alvers."  
  
"Right," Rogue agreed, getting into the Mission Impossible atmosphere of the evening. "Chez Pierre, here we come." 


	34. an unexpected suprise

NOTE: Hey everyone, please review this chapter! I'd love the advice! Thanks to everyone who has already reviewed, I'm glad you like the story so far.  
  
Kitty straightened the strap on her knee length elegant red dress. Her eyes widened as she took in the expensive settings. The amount of times a guy had taken her to as nice a restaurant as this could be counted on the fingers of one hand. Looking over at Kurt, she made a vow that they'd split the tab 50/50 since it was partly her fault that she'd roped him into this. Her mind, unbidden, started to wonder what it would be like to be on a romantic date with Pietro...Snap out if it, Kitty told herself crossly. I AM going to have fun, I am going to have fun..  
  
"Come right this way," the maitre'd told them, leading Kitty and Kurt to a table.  
  
"Here let me," Kurt said quickly, rushing over to pull out Kitty's chair for her. Kitty raised an eyebrow and thanked him a little awkwardly. It wasn't that she didn't LIKE chivalrous behavior..it's just, it was a little weird coming from Kurt.  
  
"So," Kitty began, "let me tell you how totally sorry I am for dragging you out like this. I'm sure you'd rather be doing something else," Kitty said apologetically. Kurt rolled his eyes.  
  
"Please, Kitty. Even a guy can appreciate a nice restaurant with a pretty girl over a night of losing at pool to Logan," Kurt said.  
  
Kitty laughed. "Okay, okay, fine."  
  
Kurt looked down the menu and frowned.  
  
"What is it?" Kitty asked, noting the look on his face.  
  
"It's all in French, the whole menu," Kurt exclaimed.  
  
"Don't worry, I took a few years of French. All you have to really know is that "legumes" means vegetables, and "pain" is bread. Everything else is meat or some weird unmentionable dish."  
  
"Thanks Kitty," Kurt flashed her a smile. Kitty nodded and relaxed into her chair. After placing their orders with the maitre'd, the two friends fell into an easy conversation about summer vacation.  
  
"So, what do you think Pietro's doing right now?" Kurt asked.  
  
"Who cares, he's not here," Kitty said more flippantly than she felt. She took a sip of her sparkling apple cider, and a silence fell between them. Suddenly, her ears caught a girl's high pitched voice.  
  
"Oh Pietro, you're so funny!"  
  
Kitty's fork dropped onto her plate with a clatter. Kurt looked up startled. "Is something wrong Kitty?"  
  
"Nope, not at all!" Kitty said quickly, and noted with relief that the waiter had finally brought their food. "Mmm, this looks good, let's eat," Kitty rattled on, aware that she was babbling, and not being able to help herself. Kurt looked at her strangely.  
  
"Okay," Kurt shrugged, and proceeded to sample his food. Kitty watched out of the corner of her eye, as Tina threw her head back once again in raucous laughter. They looked as if they were having a great time, Kitty thought with a sinking feeling. Tina was dressed in a barely-there dress made up of what seemed like a couple scraps of cloth. Why of all the restaurants did they have to come to this one, Kitty wondered.  
  
"Kitty, you haven't even touched your food," Kurt remarked concernedly.  
  
"I'm not hungry," Kitty said softly, her eyes still focused on the couple a few tables away. Kurt looked at her for a second, then followed her gaze, and his mouth tightened.  
  
"I can see why," Kurt said quietly. Kitty felt a stab of guilt, and quickly turned back to him.  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't want to be such a drag. I'm fine," Kitty assured him quickly, and took a large sip of her soup for extra emphasis. But when she turned, her eyes caught Tina feeding Pietro. The sight was enough to turn her stomach. Again, outrage filled her. The only thing she wanted to do now was pour her soup all over Pietro and his pressed suit, and throw her chicken dish straight at his date. Kitty giggled at her thoughts.  
  
"What's the joke?" Kurt asked, his eyes sparkling. Kitty just laughed harder, holding her stomach. After several hysterical moments, Kitty calmed down.  
  
"It's nothing, totally nothing," Kitty said, a small giggle escaping her mouth. Then, her eyes saddened. Kurt noticed immediately, and straightened in his chair.  
  
"If you want to go Kitty, I'll understand," Kurt said. Kitty opened her mouth to tell him it was nothing but stopped. As long as Pietro was there, she couldn't possibly think of anything else. She'd be lousy company to Kurt, who deserved way better.  
  
"Yeah let's go. I'm sorry Kurt," Kitty said quietly, taking his hand as he helped her out of her seat. Kurt nodded with understanding.  
  
Kitty followed Kurt and her breath caught as she got closer to Pietro's table. God please let him not recognize us, Kitty thought desperately. As they got nearer and nearer, Kitty inched past them, but at the last second, stumbled on her high heels and was forced to grab onto their table to steady herself.  
  
"Kitty!" Pietro choked out. "What are you doing here?"  
  
Kitty tried to regain her dignity by straightening her dress and staring back at him. "I was having dinner with Kurt."  
  
"Well, what a coinky- dink!" Tina squealed. "Pietro and I were having dinner too!"  
  
Kitty smirked at Pietro, who looked dangerously close to rolling his eyes. Tina wasn't as vicious as Bianca but it was obvious that she wasn't the brightest tool in the shed.  
  
"That's nice, well see you two later. I don't want to interrupt," Kitty said stiffly, ready to make a run for it.  
  
"Not at all, why don't you two join us for dessert?" Tina suggested, giving them a 1000 watt smile. Kitty was silent for a moment, Swallowing hard, she glanced back at Kurt. Then giving Pietro her sweetest smile, daggers shooting from her eyes, she slipped in to the seat next to Tina.  
  
"Sure, we'd love to." 


	35. conflicted

"So," Jubilee began, fiddling with her spoon.  
  
"So," Lance repeated, trailing off uncomfortably. Jubilee attempted a smile and sat back in her chair. I've been waiting for this date since forever, and now I'm here, and the only one I can think about is.Bobby, Jubilee thought, her mind drifting back to the fight in the kitchen, the tortured look in Bobby's eyes, the way he'd looked when he'd told her he loved her...  
  
Bobby's my best friend, Jubilee repeated in her head, Lance is the guy I like. Turning back to Lance she smiled again, more firmly this time.  
  
"So do you like Jim Carrey movies?" Jubilee asked him hopefully. To her disappointment, Lance frowned a little and shook his head.  
  
"Can't stand him or his movies. I'm more into serious movies, you know, like the Godfather series," Lance explained.  
  
Jubilee felt her hopes sinking even lower. The Godfather series? Jubilee shuddered. She had always hated mafia movies, and could never understand Rogue's fascination with them. How could someone NOT like Jim Carrey, Jubilee wondered, thinking how many nights Bobby and her had spent laughing themselves sick over Dumb and Dumber. .  
  
"Well, um, what kind of music do you like?"  
  
"I usually lean towards Classical, and sometimes R & B," Lance answered, then placed his hand over his mouth to cover a tiny yawn.  
  
God, am I that boring? Jubilee thought despondently. The more she found out about Lance, the more apparent it was becoming to her how little they had in common. They had arrived at the restaurant less than 15 minutes ago, and to Jubilee it felt like hours. Not even Lance's wholesome good looks could mask the boredom of the evening.  
  
It wouldn't be like this with Bobby, Jubilee found herself thinking sadly, we'd have the best time, getting a kick out of ordering in French. She missed her best friend so much, it was bringing tears to her eyes. She wondered what he was doing now. Had he given up on her and decided to go out with another girl? The thought made her heart clench painfully. She knew Bobby was handsome and funny, and a ton of girls had crushes on him. It wouldn't be long before one of them caught his eye...  
  
"So, did Rogue say anything to you before you left?" Lance asked casually. Jubilee blinked in surprise.  
  
"Um, what do you mean?"  
  
"Did she..say anything about me?" Lance asked, with a forced indifferent smile, but Jubilee could tell from the intense look in his eyes, that her answer mattered.  
  
"Uh, just that she was okay with us dating," Jubilee said, feeling a twinge of pity as the hopeful look in Lance's green eyes faded. Poor guy, Jubilee thought sympathetically.  
  
"Oh, I see."  
  
The conversation lagged again, and Jubilee forced back a yawn. "Um, excuse me, I'm going to go the bathroom," Jubilee said, getting up. Lance barely nodded, lost in thought. Probably thinking about Rogue, Jubilee thought, wondering why that didn't make her jealous. Sighing, Jubilee shook off her thoughts and made her way to the bathroom. God, I wish this night was over. 


	36. troubles in spycam

NOTE: I spent awhile writing this chapter so please please please review it and tell me what you liked or didn't like about it! Thanks!  
  
Bobby scanned the room anxiously, his hands stuck deep into the pockets of his jacket. "Look there she is!" Bobby exclaimed, poking Rogue and pointing at the cozy corner table.  
  
"Great, now we've seen them, let's go," Rogue said, turning around. Bobby grabbed her arm impatiently.  
  
"Rogue, come on. We came all this way, we might as well stick around a little longer."  
  
Rogue sighed. "Alright, alright."  
  
"Right this way," the maitre'd said leading them to a table far away from Jubilee and Lance. Bobby bit his lip.  
  
"Wait, can we have that table please?" Bobby asked the maitre'd pointing to the table directly behind Jubilee.  
  
"That table is reserved," the maitre'd said, giving Bobby a patronizing look. Bobby sighed.  
  
"Alright, fine," Bobby said resignedly, taking his menu rather sullenly from the waiter. Rogue sat down opposite him, craning her neck past the plant next to her.  
  
"This is the worst. Not only we are the furthest table from Lance and Jubilee, we're also right next to the bathrooms," Rogue said, making a disgusted look.  
  
"Suck it up soldier, we're here on a mission," Bobby said sternly. Rogue rolled her eyes and giggled.  
  
"You're so serious about this."  
  
"Our love lives are at stake!"  
  
"Oh, oh right," Rogue said, and turned serious.  
  
"Come on, let's go sneak behind that bush right there, we can get a perfect view from there," Bobby said.  
  
Rogue reached a hand to restrain him. "Are you nuts? We can't go now! We have to order something first or they might give away our table or something."  
  
"Really?" Bobby asked, raising his eyebrows.  
  
"Yeah, that's what happens on TV anyways," Rogue said, nodding in affirmation. "See, there's our waiter now."  
  
"Have you two decided what you'd like?" the waiter asked them in a snooty voice.  
  
"Uh, let's see," Bobby said, flipping the menu open. "Wait a second, this isn't English!"  
  
"Duh, it's French!" Rogue said laughing.  
  
"Do you know any French?"  
  
"Nope, you?"  
  
"Heck no!"  
  
"We'll need a minute," Rogue said, giving the waiter a sheepish grin.  
  
"What's a cervelle de boeuf?" Bobby whispered, then choked on his water when he saw the price. "This is daylight robbery!"  
  
"Bobby!" Rogue admonished, grabbing her own menu. Then, scanning it, stopped. "Oh my god, this stuff is unbelievably expensive."  
  
"Alvers must be loaded or something!" Bobby said grimly, throwing a dark look across the room.  
  
"Are you two READY yet?" the waiter asked impatiently.  
  
"Uh," Rogue began helplessly. "We'll have a couple more glasses of water, please."  
  
The waiter wrote it down, bored. "Yes and what else?"  
  
Bobby looked down and found that the cheapest thing on the menu was something called a "croque monsieur." He didn't have any idea what a Mr. Croque was but he figured it wouldn't make too much of a dent in his wallet.  
  
"Uh yeah, I"ll have the croque monsieur, please."  
  
"Right, and for you?  
  
Rogue bit her lip and nodded. "I'll have the same." When the waiter left, Bobby breathed a sigh of relief.  
  
"Great now let's go."  
  
The two teens got up as inconspicuously as possible, and snuck into the aisle across from where Jubilee and Lance are sitting. Rogue sighed a little when she saw him. "Doesn't Lance look great?"  
  
"Yeah, great," Bobby said grimly, his eyes fixed on Jubilee. The two seemed to be talking about something, only he was too far away too hear.  
  
"Ugh, it's hard to crawl around on the floor in a dress, you're lucky," Rogue whispered, tugging angrily at her dress.  
  
"Let's get closer, so we can hear what they're saying," Bobby whispered back.  
  
Bobby leaned his ear closer. He could hear snippets of their conversation..something about the Godfather. "They're talking about the Godfather," Bobby reported to Rogue who was crouched next to him.  
  
"Jubilee hates the Godfather," Bobby said, confused. If she hated it why were they talking about it?  
  
"I love the Godfather. So does Lance," Rogue said to Bobby.  
  
"Jeez, maybe Jubilee really goes for the "cultured" type," Bobby whispered desperately.  
  
"Uh Bobby?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"My dress ripped."  
  
"WHAT?!" Bobby choked out, tearing his eyes away, to see Rogue looking dismayed at the large tear at the front of her dress.  
  
"I tore it when I was crawling behind this stupid bush," Rogue said furiously trying to put the two pieces back together unsuccessfully. "Oh and another thing, our waiter's back with our food," Rogue said, pointing back to their table, where the waiter was standing with a large serving platter.  
  
"Oh great, right when they're about to get to the good stuff," Bobby said sighing. "I'm sorry about your dress, Rogue."  
  
"It's okay, I'm just wondering how the hell to get back to our table without somebody seeing it," Rogue said anxiously.  
  
"Okay, I'll go in front of you, we'll go slow so we don't attract attention," Bobby whispered. Rogue nodded and trailed behind Bobby, and they sat down quickly.  
  
The waiter lay down their food in front of them and disappeared with a hardly a second glance back.  
  
"20 bucks for a cheese sandwich!" "Quiet down!"  
  
Bobby gnashed his teeth as he took a large bite of the sandwich. "Well, I don't know about you, but I'm starved," Rogue said and began eating her sandwich. "This is pretty good, actually."  
  
"Good, glad you like it." Bobby suddenly dropped his sandwich on his plate, gaping behind Rogue. Rogue frowned in mid-bite.  
  
"What?"  
  
"She's coming towards us!"  
  
"Who?!"  
  
"Jubilee! Down, get down!" Bobby said frantically, grabbing Rogue's hand and pulling them both under the table.  
  
"This is ridiculous," Rogue whispered fiercely, as they both watched Jubilee walk by their table and into the bathrooms.  
  
"No it isn't. You want to explain to her why we're here spying?"  
  
"Good point," Rogue said quickly. After they saw Jubilee walked back, they emerged cautiously from under the table.  
  
"That was close. Too close," Bobby said, straightening his tie.  
  
"Yeah, wait a second. I see a place right behind Lance. It's closer to their table and the plant is huge so they won't be able to see us," Rogue pointed out excitedly.  
  
"Where is it?"  
  
"Right next to the fountain," Rogue said. Bobby scanned it and grinned. "Hey, you're right. Let's go." The two made their way to the spot quickly, the same way as they had before, with Bobby in front.  
  
"They're eating dessert," Rogue reported, kneeling forward and peering through the bushes.  
  
"How cozy," Bobby said bitterly, craning his own neck to get a look.  
  
"Ow, you just jabbed me in the side!"  
  
"Sorry, I'm just trying to see. Can you move a little?"  
  
"Oh god, one of my high heels just fell into the fountain!"  
  
"What, where?" Bobby asked, turning back to see one high heel floating in the fountain. His arm turned and knocked down a smaller potted plant. The plant crashed to the floor.  
  
Rogue paled. "Oh no, they're turning around." Bobby groaned as Lance stood up.  
  
"Did you hear that?" Bobby heard Jubilee ask. He watched in horror as both of them stood up.  
  
"We have to get out of here!" Rogue said frantically. Bobby nodded, and he pointed and tried to crawl out of the tight position with Rogue following behind.  
  
Suddenly a voice boomed above them. "Are you looking for something sir?"  
  
"Uh no," Bobby whispered fiercely, getting to his feet. Rogue stood up next to him, blushing hotly with embarrassment. The waiter looked from their flushed faces to her torn dress, and walked away quickly. They turned around, breathing a sigh of relief, only to find Jubilee and Lance gaping at them. This is not going to be good, Bobby thought with dread, looking over at a beet-red Rogue. Not good. 


	37. table for four

NOTE: ah, sorry it took so long to update, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Thanks for all the great reviews, I love reading them! Please keep them coming!  
  
Pietro could feel his jaw drop open, as he saw Kitty grab Kurt's arm and pull him in their direction. What was she DOING here? His mind was spinning as he glanced at his date who was grinning like an idiot and Kitty who had an expression on her face bordering on...smug. Pietro shook off his thoughts, and moved over to make room for Kurt.  
  
His heart started beating louder and louder as Kitty sat next to Tina, and began leafing through the dessert menu casually. "You know, I hope this is okay with you, Pietro. I wouldn't want to..intrude on your romantic dinner," Kitty said, lowering her menu slightly to give Pietro a glowing smile, while placing her other hand on Kurt's.  
  
Pietro narrowed his eyes. "Of course not. I couldn't be happier with the company," he said through clenched teeth, and grabbed his own menu to avoid seeing the smile Kitty bestowed on Kurt. This was going to be hell. He knew it in the pit of his stomach.  
  
Kurt cleared his throat and sought to break the tension that was quickly filling the table. "So, how long have you and Pietro been dating, Tina?"  
  
Pietro saw his brain-dead date fiddle with her hair for a moment. "Weeell, I guess, a few days."  
  
"Or a few hours," Kitty muttered under her breath, but it wasn't lost on Pietro who quickly straightened in his chair.  
  
"Well, we can't all have such long and committed relationships, like you and Kurt," Pietro responded sarcastically, while glaring at a very uncomfortable Kurt.  
  
"Yes, Kurt and I are lucky to have such a wonderful, open relationship," Kitty said in the same acid tone Pietro had used.  
  
"Well, Pietro, I think we could have a really super relationship if we tried," Tina said in a syrupy voice. Pietro felt his face flame as Kitty and Kurt watched Tina try to take his hand. He jerked it away at the last minute and coughed.  
  
"Um, we can talk about that later Tina," Pietro managed to choke out. Frankly, the thought of seeing Tina again made him ill. He couldn't even remember why he'd asked her out in the first place. Oh wait, yes, it had to do with a certain Kitty Pryde that made him love her even after he'd sworn he'd forget her. Let Kitty be with her perfect strait-laced boyfriend. So what if he was doomed to date a string of morons...  
  
"No, let's talk about it now," Tina said, her voice turning demanding.  
  
"Uh, but we have company, it's better if -," Pietro began urgently.  
  
"Oh no, we don't mind," Kitty said airily, and turned an attentive eye towards them.  
  
Pietro felt like throwing something sharp and pointy. If he told Tina that he'd rather drink a gallon of Turbo Lax than listening to her inane comments another minute, it wouldn't give Kitty any reason to be jealous. He looked from one face to the other. What the heck was he supposed to say? Pietro was saved from answering by the arrival of their waiter.  
  
"Yes, what would you like to have for dessert?" the waiter asked, pen poised over his notepad.  
  
"Uh, we'll have the gateau du chocolat," Pietro replied quickly, relief apparent in his voice.  
  
"You're so good at French!" Tina squealed. Pietro looked up to see Kitty ripping her napkins to shreds, her jaw clenched. Was she jealous?  
  
The waiter just rolled his eyes and turned to Kitty. "And for you?"  
  
"I think we'll have something a little less DENSE," Kitty replied, emphasizing the last word while looking over at Pietro. Pietro clenched his fists as Kurt began laughing.  
  
"Yes, undoubtedly, you'd probably want something light, fluffy, and SHALLOW," Pietro responded smoothly, and was gratified to see Kitty look furious.  
  
"I'm going to-," Kitty began angrily, but fell quiet at Kurt's warning look. "Uh, I'm going to..have la glace," Kitty finished quickly and sat back in her seat, face still flushed beautifully. Pietro felt himself staring into her brown eyes, his face softening. The moment was broken by the waiter snapping the notepad shut and walking away briskly. Pietro shook his head as he watched the waiter go, forcing himself to stop looking at Kitty and focus on his date, who was fixing him with an evil look at the moment. But his heart refused to listen. If I can get through this dinner without any permanent injuries, I'll be grateful, Pietro thought miserably. 


	38. more lies

Breathe, breathe, Rogue repeated to herself, as she saw Lance and Jubilee standing, almost frozen to their spots, staring horrified at them. She should have KNOWN this wouldn't have worked! Bobby and his stupid, impulsive, hare-brained ideas....  
  
Rogue tried to snap herself out of her shock and looked over at Bobby who was red as a tomato. She watched Jubilee glance at her ripped dress and their faces and gasp. Rogue felt little knots begin to form in her stomach.  
  
It was Lance who first spoke. "Rogue!" he sputtered in shock, looking as if he were about to fall over.  
  
"Bobby!" Jubilee choked out next, her dinner napkin falling to the floor.  
  
"Uh, hi guys," Bobby said lamely, and slung an arm around Rogue's shoulders.  
  
"What are you doing here with Drake?" Lance asked, his face filled quickly with hurt. Rogue felt her heart twist and she swallowed hard. She couldn't possibly let him go on thinking that her and Bobby were..dating. Rogue wrinkled her nose at the thought. But the thought of telling him that they had been crawling around on the floor spying was downright mortifying. Rogue shuddered and turned to Bobby for help.  
  
"Well we were both sitting around at home, and uh, we thought we'd go out to dinner," Bobby offered quickly. Rogue sighed in relief. That much, at least, was the truth. Of course, Lance didn't have to know that they'd been jealous enough to tail them to the restaurant and sit in a couple of bushes spying.  
  
"Then why is Rogue's dress ripped?" Jubilee asked, her voice full of anguish.  
  
Good question, Rogue thought, looking down at her dress. This was the worst. There was no way they could explain THAT. The jig was up. Rogue opened her mouth to confess, but before she could, Bobby spoke up.  
  
"Things got a little.heated between us."  
  
"WHAT?!" Rogue, Lance, and Jubilee all cried out at the same time.  
  
Rogue felt murderous. Bobby was a DEAD man when they got home! Bobby threw her a look that couldn't be described as anything else but pure desperation. Obviously it was incredibly important that Jubilee never find out the REAL reason they were there.  
  
"Is that true Rogue?" Lance asked, his voice unshed with hurt, but his eyes were glaring fixedly at Bobby.  
  
Rogue was silent, and forced back the urge to strangle Bobby. "Yeah."  
  
It was Jubilee who spoke next, her face flushed brilliantly. "You lying jerk!"  
  
"What-?" Bobby spluttered.  
  
Rogue watched in horror, as Jubilee picked up the untouched cream pie lying on the table and threw it.  
  
*So what do you guys think? Please review..! 


	39. facing off

NOTE: PLEASE review this chapter, I want to know what you guys think of the story so far. Thank you!  
  
Kitty felt like stomping on Pietro's foot. What did he mean by calling HER shallow when he practically INVENTED the word! And the way that girl Tina was fawning all over him was enough to make her sick. She had had enough of Pietro's gorgeous blue eyes staring at her across the table and making her feel furious and light-headed at the same time.  
  
"Oh look, our dessert's here," Kurt said, piping up, trying to break the tension.  
  
"Oh goody," Pietro said sarcastically, crossing his arms. Kitty glared back at him. Any and all pretensions of having a good time were definitely over.  
  
"Go ahead and stuff your face Pietro, acting like a pig should be second nature to you," Kitty retorted. Tina looked back at them and looked confused.  
  
"Are you guys not getting along?" Tina asked in a baby voice. Pietro let out a disgusted sound.  
  
"Obviously!"  
  
"You don't have to yell at her, it's not her fault she had to go out with a conceited, smug jerk!" Kitty said, ignoring Kurt's attempts to smooth out the argument.  
  
"I'm SMUG?! Ha! I'm not the one throwing my "wonderful, open, committed relationship," in everyone's faces!" Pietro yelled back.  
  
"Neither one of us has the right to talking about committed relationships!" Kitty said heatedly.  
  
"Oh, really? What the hell does that mean?"  
  
"You date a new girl every week, and Kurt isn't really my boyfriend!" Kitty blurted out. The words were out before Kitty could take them back. Pietro's face drained as the words sank in, and Kitty heard Kurt groan. Her own cheeks started to burn as she felt all eyes on her. When Pietro lifted his eyes again, they were hot with anger.  
  
"You. Me. Over there. Now," Pietro ordered tersely, pointing to a secluded corner of the restaurant.  
  
"Fine," Kitty seethed, and pushed her way out of the both, as Kurt and Tina watched them go in amazement.  
  
When they got there, Pietro turned on her, eyes blazing. "Okay, you mind explaining yourself?"  
  
"Believe me, there is NOTHING to explain," Kitty said bitterly. "All I know, is I have HORRIBLE taste in men, of course, only second to your taste in women!"  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah, you- you ogre!" Kitty sputtered.  
  
"Well, I may be an ogre, but ATLEAST I'm an HONEST ogre!" Pietro yelled back. "I didn't make up some story about dating someone for 3 years!"  
  
"You didn't have to make up anything, you date girls as if it were going out of style!" Kitty bit out, and finding to her horror, tears blearing her eyes. All her pent up emotions regarding Pietro were rising like a tide to the forefront.  
  
"Right, well that's how I deal when a girl breaks my heart!" Pietro yelled, his blue eyes luminous.  
  
Kitty choked back a sob. "You don't have a heart to break! You don't care about anyone but yourself!"  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"I know all about you and Bianca!"  
  
Pietro looked as if he were about to throw up. "BIANCA?!"  
  
"Yes," Kitty choked out, fighting back tears, "it's obvious you prefer her to me. You deserve each other!"  
  
"You're crazy!" Pietro sputtered in astonishment.  
  
But some noise interrupted their argument, Kitty and Pietro turned around in time to see, across the room, Bobby ducking as Jubilee let fly a large cream pie. 


	40. when pies fly

Jubilee could hardly see through her tears, as her hand came up as if by some unseen force, and she threw the pie as hard as she could at Bobby, whose eyes widened and ducked. The pie ended up splattering Rogue square in the face.  
  
"Ugh," Rogue gasped, wiping cream from her face. "Your dead Bobby!"  
  
"Why does everyone want to kill me!" Bobby asked defensively,  
  
"You lying, cheating pig!" Jubilee repeated, her voice full of anger and hurt. "You feed me all this crap about loving me and then you go out with Rogue!" She grabbed an apple pie from the dessert table, and threw it.  
  
As Bobby ducked again, Rogue blocked it furiously. "Well maybe if you KNEW which guy you wanted you wouldn't be so PISSED!"  
  
Jubilee blinked indignantly. "What's that-," Jubilee began, but was quickly silenced by the chocolate mousse cake Rogue smashed into her face. "Oh!"  
  
"This is for trying to put the moves on MY girlfriend!" Lance yelled, and launched a cream pie straight at Bobby. It was too late for Bobby to duck and it landed on his new suit with a sickening squishing sound.  
  
"Oh yeah, well you KNEW I liked Jubilee, and you still went out with her!" Bobby said furiously, retaliating by grabbing a handful of cake from a nearby woman's plate and stuffing it down Lance's shirt.  
  
"I did it for Rogue! Not that she cared," Lance said disgustedly, gesturing to Rogue's ripped dress.  
  
"I did care, Lance-," Rogue began to protest.  
  
"I don't want to hear it," Lance said bitterly, and sloshed Rogue with a glass brimming with ice water.  
  
"Oh, well you can see how I might have been CONFUSED about your feelings for me, the way you were talking about Jubilee!" Rogue shouted back, grabbing wildly at the desert cart for something to throw.  
  
"I didn't-," Lance began to yell.  
  
"Oh SHUT UP both of you! Rogue, you set this miserable date up!" Jubilee yelled. "Eat cake!"  
  
The cake missed Rogue's face and landed on the dress of an elderly woman sitting nearby.  
  
"Oh no," Bobby groaned, as the woman stood up spitting insults.  
  
"Nice one, Jubilee," Lance said disgustedly.  
  
"Oh, put a sock in it Alvers," Jubilee snarled back, wiping cream from her arms. "By the way the Godfather sucks!"  
  
Lance and Rogue looked at each other, and turned on her angrily. "No it doesn't!"  
  
They were momentarily silenced, by the sight of a plate of crème brulée flying through the air. Bobby turned and saw that it was thrown by the elderly woman who had been a victim of Jubilee's pie throwing. He ducked just in time and watched in horror as the rich dessert was soon plastered all over a gentleman.  
  
Jubilee turned and gasped at the sight. It happened almost in slow motion, but in seconds, food was flying furiously through the air. People began getting up and hurling their uneaten desserts and entrée's at nearby diners.  
  
"This is awful!" Rogue moaned.  
  
The four friends turned to each other. "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!" they yelled accusingly at the same time.  
  
* Reviews please, and advice is also very appreciated! Thanks! 


	41. restaurant drama

NOTE: Okay, whew, I think I was taken by a bout of inspiration and finished off the last two chapters of this story faster than I usually do. So, enjoy and PLEASE review! I loved reading all the incredibly nice reviews everyone has written. I truly do appreciate them. Thanks again!  
  
"What the hell is going on over there?" Pietro asked, as he watched the food fight escalate to all parts of the restaurant. Couples were smashing pie and soup into each others faces, and a large crowd had gathered around the instigators; none other than Jubilee, Bobby, Lance, and Rogue.  
  
"A food fight," Kitty said lamely, her eyes wide as she took in the chaos, momentarily forgetting about their own fight.  
  
"I know THAT, but what the hell are all your friends doing at Chez Pierre the exact same night I decide to take out Tina? Don't you think that's an awful big coincidence?" Pietro asked, cocking an eyebrow.  
  
Kitty turned on him, lifting her chin firmly to meet his gaze. "What exactly are you implying? That we all ganged up to STALK you to this restaurant so we can watch you and your air bubble in a mini-skirt force- feed each other? Please!"  
  
"Well than why else are ALL of them here?" Pietro asked defensively. Kitty threw up her hands.  
  
"How should I know? I just wanted a peaceful dinner with Kurt, before I had to run into YOU!" Kitty retorted.  
  
"Oh yes, Kurt, your IMAGINARY boyfriend," Pietro scoffed, running a hand through his perfect silvery hair. Kitty could practically feel the steam coming from her ears.  
  
Grabbing a nearby dessert plate, Kitty scooped it up with one hand and threw it at Pietro. The motion was so unexpected, that even Pietro couldn't duck fast enough to avoid it, leaving a large creamy chocolate smudge on his cheek. Even in the heat of anger, Kitty couldn't help thinking how cute he looked like that, outraged and staring at her with that look of disbelief.  
  
"Your crazy!" Pietro sputtered finally, when he'd recovered from his shock. But Kitty was no longer listening, she began slinging more handfuls of different entrée's, not even stopping to look at what she was throwing, while Pietro was ducking and zipping around to avoid being hit. "Kitty! Kitty, cut it out! Have you lost your mind!"  
  
Pietro stopped, and tried to step towards her, but Kitty took this small moment, to fling a handful of vanilla ice cream. The icy dessert slid down Pietro's face, and dripped heavily into his pressed suit. Pietro looked up grimly, and crossed his arms in front of him. Uh oh, Kitty thought, stopping for a second as she realized that the dessert cart was next to Pietro now and she had run out of ammunition.  
  
"You asked for it Pryde," Pietro said slowly, and reached for the dessert cart.  
  
"Uh, hehe, don't do anything...stupid, Maximoff," Kitty warned nervously, backing up and finding she was wedged into a corner.  
  
"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to do that!"  
  
Kitty yelped and phased in time to miss the chocolate cake flying towards her. She heard it squash against the wall and turned back to him only to meet a cream pie face first. She looked at him murderously.  
  
"Shouldn't you be giving your many girlfriends a TASTE of the SWEET life?!" Kitty spat out, ducking wildly as Pietro continued to throw things at her. What infuriated her even more was that he was laughing his head off at her attempts to phase.  
  
"You're obviously hallucinating Pryde!" Pietro yelled back.  
  
"Oh yeah? I suppose I was hallucinating when I CAUGHT you in the arms of that- that SHE-DEVIL Bianca!" Kitty retorted.  
  
Pietro stopped. "What are you TALKING about! I hate her! I don't understand!" Pietro said exasperated, throwing his hands up.  
  
"Yeah, and I don't understand why you keep lying to me!" Kitty bit out, a stray tear sliding down her face. Pietro looked anguished as he saw the tear and he sighed heavily.  
  
"Look Kitty, I'm not lying, I don't like Bianca, I never have! She's not my type!" Pietro protested, taking another step towards her.  
  
"Then who is your type? Tina?" Kitty sobbed, gesturing towards the impatient redhead who was involved heavily in a food fight with Kurt.  
  
"No, you are! YOU, YOU, YOU! It's always been you!" Pietro blurted out finally. Kitty stopped and gaped at him in astonishment, her brown eyes glimmering with unshed tears.  
  
"Then, but," Kitty faltered, "I came to talk to you the night we came back from the island and I saw you with Bianca."  
  
"Bianca approached ME! And I told her to get lost, that you were the only girl I was interested in. And still am," Pietro said softly, stepping closer and taking her face in his hands.  
  
Kitty was speechless, and swallowed. "I feel like such an idiot,."  
  
Pietro smiled at her crookedly, and wiped away a tear sliding down her cheek. "Lucky for you, I happen to have a soft spot for idiots."  
  
"Oh, you-," Kitty began to say, but was silenced by Pietro's sweet gentle kiss. Kitty returned it happily and threw her arms around him, and the two stayed like that for several moments, oblivious to the mass chaos around them. 


	42. all's well that ends well

NOTE: Okay, here it is, guys, the last chapter..*sniff*, I had so much fun writing this story! Please review this last chapter out of the goodness of your hearts. Thanks again!  
  
"Don't even THINK of pinning this on me, Drake! You're the cheater!" Jubilee yelled.  
  
"You don't have any RIGHT to get angry at me!" Bobby yelled back, finally losing his temper. "For YEARS I've loved you, and supported you, while you drooled over every guy in the mansion! You don't care about MY feelings, so why should I care about YOURS!"  
  
"That's not true! I care about your feelings, I always have!" Jubilee argued back, her face streaked with tears.  
  
Meanwhile, Lance had lost all control and was flinging the remnants of his dinner at Rogue. "This is for making me go out with Jubilee! And that's for fooling around with Drake!"  
  
"For the hundredth TIME, Bobby made that up!" Rogue yelled back, dodging pie.  
  
"Why should I believe you, you've LIED about everything else!" Lance retorted, his voice full of hurt.  
  
"If you two would shut UP, we're trying to resolve our problems!" Bobby yelled at them.  
  
Rogue took a piece of pie from Lance and shoved it in Bobby's face angrily. "That's for making up that STUPID lie and for dragging me here to SPY on them!"  
  
"You were spying on me?!" Jubilee said incredulously. "So what if I was?" Bobby said defensively.  
  
"Wait a second, so you WEREN"T fooling around with Drake?" Lance asked slowly.  
  
"No! Right now, I want to kill him! The only reason I came down here was because I knew I'd made a horrible mistake by breaking things off with you. I-I was being stupid and insecure about our relationship," Rogue said faltering. Lance's expression softened.  
  
"All he could talk about was Rogue, all through dinner anyways..and all I could think about was..you," Jubilee whispered, her voice dropping. Bobby's face illuminated with a smile.  
  
"Does this mean.you don't like Alvers anymore?" Bobby asked hopefully  
  
"Could I like anyone who doesn't appreciate Jim Carrey?" Jubilee asked in disbelief. "Come here, you big oaf," Jubilee said sweetly, and kissed an astonished Bobby.  
  
The crowd broke into clapping and cheers.  
  
Rogue pulled away from her hug from Lance momentarily, and gasped. "Oh my god, there's police! They're coming our way!"  
  
"The police don't scare me," Bobby said confidently, throwing a glance at the police men side-stepping the dessert-drenched floor to get to them. Then he saw that the police were being followed what looked suspiciously liked Dr. Grey, Mr. Summers, and ..Logan. "AAAAH! It's Logan! Get out of the way!" Bobby screamed, jumping out of Jubilee's arms.  
  
"Don't be such a wimp, Drake. Frankly I'm more worried what the restaurant owners are going to do to us after they see this mess," Lance said grimly.  
  
"Okay, what the hell is going on here?" Mr. Summers demanded. "We received a call from the restaurant, saying that you kids were destroying the place!"  
  
"You better have a great explanation for this one," Logan added grimly, crossing his arms.  
  
"Crimes of passion?" Bobby suggested weakly. His response was met by groans.  
  
"I am very upset about all of this," Dr. Grey said sternly.  
  
"Well, you're about to get even more upset," Jubilee said, pointing to the far corner of the restaurant. All 3 adults turned to see Kitty and Pietro involved in a passionate kiss, oblivious to the incredulous stares they were receiving.  
  
"Whoah, stand back, he looks like he's going to blow," Bobby warned, gesturing to Logan's red face.  
  
"Bobby!" Mr. Summers threatened.  
  
"Uh hehe, I'll, uh, just be in the kitchen," Bobby said sheepishly, and ran off.  
  
Rogue sighed, once again they had all managed to get into trouble. The circle repeats itself, Rogue thought looking around. Everything was going to be all right after all.  
  
*** Well, what'd you guys think? I'm working on another Kietro story, with plotlines w/ the usual gang (jubes, bobby, lance, rogue, etc.) called "Crossfire", I'll put it up on fanfic.net soon, so if your interested in reading it, please give me feedback! Thanks to all the reviewers...( 


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